Why John Wick’s Appearance In Ballerina Hindered The Spin-off Film

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As a huge action movie fan, I’ve been following the John Wick universe closely. It’s amazing how the first movie became such a phenomenon, launching this whole franchise! But honestly, the latest spin-off made a weird choice. You’ve got this incredibly popular character, John Wick himself, who’s carried four successful films – why wouldn’t you include him? It just felt like a natural fit, and a smart move, really.

This was particularly evident with the challenges faced by the The Continental spin-off series without his involvement. While adding him to Ballerina: From The World of John Wick seemed like a good way to boost the film, it ultimately hindered its progress.

John Wick Appearing Took The Focus Off Eve

Lionsgate/Courtesy Everett Collection

John Wick is a hugely popular character, and while it’s understandable he’s in Ballerina, his presence overshadowed Eve, the main character. This ultimately detracted from the film’s focus where it should have been.

Looking back, that quick cameo in John Wick: Chapter 3 felt just right. It was a great teaser for the trailer, and it nicely handed things over to Eve. Honestly, I was a little surprised to see him playing a bigger part in Ballerina – I thought that initial appearance was perfectly paced.

He starts out trying to stop Eve, but eventually joins forces with her. This leads to some exciting action scenes featuring John, which is great, but it unfortunately means we see less of Eve, and her character suffers as a result.

Having John Beat Eve Handily Showed That She Wasn’t On His Level


Lionsgate/Courtesy Everett Collection

John Wick is known as the Baba Yaga – a figure of fear among assassins – so his victory over Eve fits the established story. But this ease of victory actually emphasizes that the recent films aren’t living up to the quality of the original series.

We all generally accept that John would win a fight against Eve, but seeing it happen so definitively on screen weakens Eve’s character. This is made worse when she’s nearly defeated, only to be rescued by John eliminating the threat.

Eve is a compelling and capable main character. Her difficult past makes viewers care about her, she’s as skilled and tough as John, and Ana de Armas delivers a strong performance. However, the script relies too much on John, which unfortunately holds Eve back.

John’s Appearance Felt Too Shoehorned In

The main issue isn’t John’s character itself, but rather how forcefully he’s been added to the story and repeatedly shown as superior to Eve. It feels like his role exists solely to attract a larger audience, and it could have been handled much more smoothly from a narrative standpoint.

The timing of this story feels a little strange. It happens between John Wick 3 and John Wick 4, meaning John is actively being hunted by the High Table at the time. It doesn’t quite make sense that he’d have the time or freedom to take on a detour to this assassin town for an extra job.

It’s difficult to believe, considering how much time he spent recovering from his injuries after John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. But the biggest problem is that John Wick doesn’t actually move the story forward. The movie would happen exactly the same way even if he wasn’t in it.

Besides assisting Eve while she navigates Hallstatt, Austria, this character doesn’t affect the overall story.

Ballerina Worked Best Without John Wick

While John Wick is fantastic, Ballerina truly stands out as a strong film when it focuses on Eve’s journey. The movie allows Eve to take center stage, explores a compelling relationship with her sister, and still delivers plenty of exciting action.

Focusing on Eve as a simple action story was the right choice, particularly since it could have mirrored the style of strong female assassin films like Atomic Blonde and Gunpowder Milkshake. While John’s appearance does increase the action, the movie wasn’t lacking in that department to begin with.

Adding John Wick to the story of Ballerina felt forced and detracted from other important plot points. For instance, the connection between Eve and her sister wasn’t developed enough. Eve learns a significant truth about her sister, but then her sister is quickly killed off with little further acknowledgment.

John’s Appearance Didn’t Help The Box Office

Keanu Reeves was likely cast in Ballerina: From the World of John Wick to boost ticket sales. He’s a major reason the John Wick character is so popular, and audiences are more likely to see a movie when he’s in it.

Despite featuring John Wick, the movie Ballerina wasn’t a financial success. It earned about $137 million worldwide, but with a $90 million budget, it ultimately flopped. While the film might have performed even worse without him, his appearance didn’t significantly improve ticket sales.

If the film wasn’t expected to be highly profitable regardless, Ballerina: From the World of John Wick would have been stronger as a separate story centered on Eve, rather than trying so hard to connect to the larger John Wick universe.

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2025-11-23 21:39