With ‘Ballerina,’ Lionsgate Tests the Limits of John Wick’s Box Office Power

As the “John Wick” series enters its second decade, Lionsgate has made it clear that the Baba Yaga and his world of assassins are a big part of their theatrical future. We will get answers on how big its reach could be starting this weekend with “Ballerina,” a spinoff starring Ana de Armas as a new vengeance-seeking killer.

“From the World of John Wick: Ballerina” got its start as a BlackList script written by Shay Hatten after being inspired by watching “John Wick: Chapter 2,” which Lionsgate enjoyed so much that they picked it up in 2017 and called on Hatten to rewrite his script to fit into the “Wick” universe known as The Continental.

Now it is part of a flurry of new “Wick” IP coming from Lionsgate in the years ahead. Along with “Ballerina,” Lionsgate is developing “John Wick 5,” a