The John Wick series seemed to come to a definitive conclusion at the end of 2023’s John Wick: Chapter 4, but fear not, Keanu Reeves’ moody assassin is back – in a couple of scenes, anyway.
Ballerina (marketed as From the World of John Wick: Ballerina) is a 2025 American action thriller film, directed by Len Wiseman and written by Shay Hatten.
The fifth installment in the sprawling John Wick franchise, it stars Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro, with Gabriel Byrne, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Norman Reedus, and returning favorites Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston, Lance Reddick (in his final role), and Keanu Reeves.
Wiseman was careful to stress that Eve is not another Wick—they’re paralleling worlds, not cloning characters.
In its debut weekend, Ballerina earned $25 million domestically and $26 million internationally for a $51 million global opening. With a robust audience appreciation, the film is primed for long-run growth—and whispers of a sequel are already circulating . In Indian markets, it officially launched June 13 and analysts project a Rs 50 crore benchmark to qualify as a hit
Ballerina: The plot
The film opens with a haunting prologue: young Eve witnesses her father’s murder at the hands of a mysterious Cult amid the tinkling melody of a music box—a personal “Swan Lake” echoing her future path.
Taken in by Winston and the Ruska Roma’s enigmatic Director, she is raised in a ballet training complex that doubles as an elite assassin academy.
Over the next twelve years, Eve masters both grace and grit—her ballet form doubling as precision weaponry. De Armas’s months of intensive combat choreography are evident on-screen.
A standout early scene shows Eve smashing plates over an opponent’s head—a brilliantly physical punchline to a verbal lesson on “fighting like a girl”
Adulthood finds Eve hired to protect heiress Katla Park. Her first solo mission goes awry when she kills a Cult assassin—breaking a fragile truce with the organization that killed her mother.
Driven by revenge, she tracks a high-value Cultist, Daniel Pine (played by Norman Reedus), to Prague’s Continental. There, Eve manages to shield Pine’s daughter Ella but endures kidnapping before escaping, alongside a dramatic execution of the attackers by Continental staff.
Behind her hunt, Eve delves deeper, locating the Cult’s alpine stronghold in Hallstatt. Here, she faces personal revelations: the ruthless Chancellor reveals himself as Pine’s father—and that Eve’s long-lost sister, Lena, was raised by the Cult.
Family secrets and betrayal collide in a grenade-fueled climax that tears relationships apart.
With inter-clan war looming, Winston sends John Wick to confront the rogue ballerina. Their violent ballet is further proof of de Armas’s prowess—it blends brutal choreography with emotional stakes as Wick grants Eve a window to settle her vendetta.
The pair unites to storm the Chancellor’s compound: Wick pulls rank, Eve delivers judgment.
The climax sees her executing the villain and reuniting Ella with her father back at the New York Continental.
But the film closes on a haunting note—Eve is now a marked woman, with a large bounty on her head.
The verdict
Ana de Armas anchors the film with athletic grace and physical intensity. Critics praise her “magnetic” presence and the film’s relentless action—from ice-skate duels in Prague to flamethrower spectacles in the Alps.
Wiseman’s direction delivers inventive, visceral set-pieces, and the tavern-plate fight injects unexpected levity into the carnage.
Yet, the story treads familiar ground: a revenge tale steeped in vengeance clichés and fragmented world-building . Dialogue often stumbles—stiff exposition and overburdened mythology weigh down the explosions.
Reeves’s return is exhilarating but somewhat overshadows Eve’s arc, raising questions about her autonomy as a lead.
Ballerina dances dangerously close to being a standard franchise spin-off—but Emma de Armas’s haunting performance and the film’s inventive action elevate it. It isn’t a full reinvention of Wick lore, but it’s a sleek, brutal interlude that keeps fans invested.
If you’re drawn to choreographed violence and strong, silent leads with a hint of vulnerability, this film delivers. Just don’t expect to walk away pondering deep philosophical themes—it’s built purely to thrill.
Score: 3½/5 stars – A stylish addition to the Wick universe that rides familiar grooves, but garners strength from de Armas’s compelling presence and Wiseman’s action choreography.
Watch the trailer for Ballerina here:
