Ana de Armas and Keanu Reeves are looking to shoot their way up a new streamer’s charts in March.
Directed by Len Wiseman, who also worked on the Underworld films, Ballerina is a new spin-off connected to the John Wick universe. The film takes place between John Wick: Chapter 3 and John Wick: Chapter 4. Ana de Armas stars as Eve Macarro, a skilled assassin and dancer trained from a young age by Anjelica Huston’s character, the Director, and the Ruska Roma. Eve is also determined to avenge her father’s death.
Nearly nine months after its theatrical release, the movie Ballerina will soon be available on a new streaming service. Currently, Ballerina, a spin-off of the John Wick franchise, has only been available to stream outside the U.S. on Starz and Prime Video. But on March 27th, it will be added to HBO Max in the United States. This change coincides with its removal from Starz, Prime Video, and Philo on March 24th.
As a critic, I have to say Ballerina is a bit of a mixed bag. It’s great to see familiar faces like Norman Reedus, Gabriel Byrne, and the late Lance Reddick back in this world, alongside Ana de Armas, who really delivers a strong performance. The action sequences are undeniably impressive, but honestly, the story feels a little thin, and it doesn’t quite feel like it adds much to the larger John Wick universe. Financially, it underperformed too – while not a disaster, it’s the lowest-grossing entry since the first John Wick film, earning $137 million on a $90 million budget. And critically, it landed the second-lowest Rotten Tomatoes score in the franchise, only beating out The Continental.
Although it had a rocky start, Ballerina has been gaining momentum over the last nine months. Audiences really enjoyed the John Wick spinoff, giving it a 92% Audience score on Rotten Tomatoes – only slightly behind the 93% earned by Chapter 4. It also quickly became popular on Prime Video, staying in the Top 10 for over a month.
Moving the film Ballerina from Starz to HBO Max is good news for fans, especially since most of the John Wick movies are already available on that platform. Currently, the first three John Wick films can be streamed on HBO Max, with the fourth previously on AMC+ (but leaving on March 1st). The Continental is still exclusive to Peacock. Since Ballerina‘s story connects most strongly to the first three films, this move makes it easy for new viewers to jump into the series from the beginning.
The shift in Ballerina’s distribution plan happens as the John Wick franchise continues to plan its future. John Wick: Chapter 5 was officially confirmed for April 2025 by Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves, with Stahelski remaining involved as an executive producer alongside Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee. Donnie Yen is also directing and starring in a spinoff film called Caine, which reportedly began filming in 2025. Beyond that, a second TV series, titled ‘Under the High Table,’ an animated prequel, and a major video game are all currently in development.
It’s still uncertain if Ana de Armas’s character will get another movie, and the performance of Ballerina on HBO Max could be a deciding factor. Although the film didn’t do well in theaters, strong streaming numbers could convince producers to make a sequel, especially since the ending left audiences wanting to see de Armas and Reeves team up again.
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2026-02-28 19:08