Ballerina: The John Wick Spin-Off, Fully Briefed
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (2025) is the franchise's first theatrical spin-off: Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro, a Ruska Roma-trained assassin hunting the cult that murdered her father. It was released on June 6, 2025, directed by Len Wiseman, and — yes — John Wick himself is in it, in a proper supporting role rather than a wink at the camera.
Here's the full file: the cast, where the film sits in the John Wick timeline, how it performed, and whether you need the other films first.
>What Ballerina is
The seed was planted in Chapter 3 — Parabellum: in the Ruska Roma theatre, John watches a young ballerina rehearse through visible pain while the Director explains that art and killing are taught the same way there. Ballerina grows that thirty-second scene into a full film. Eve Macarro is orphaned as a child when a masked cult kills her father; the Ruska Roma take her in and raise her as a kikimora — dancer, killer, or in Eve's case both.
Years later, a tattoo on a dying man's wrist gives Eve a thread back to the cult — led by Gabriel Byrne's Chancellor and headquartered, in classic Wick-world fashion, in a postcard-perfect Alpine village where every resident is a killer. Defying the Director's orders, she pulls the thread. The franchise's signature ingredients follow: gold coins, Continental neutral ground, and escalating set pieces — including one fought with a flamethrower against a fire hose.
>Ballerina cast
Ana de Armas had already shown the action chops — her scene-stealing Paloma in No Time to Die was practically an audition — and she trained for months in the franchise's judo-and-gun-fu house style (her full file is here). Lance Reddick filmed his Charon scenes before his death in March 2023, making Ballerina his posthumous farewell to the franchise. The complete actor-by-actor breakdown across all five films is on the cast page.
>Is John Wick in Ballerina? (Yes — properly)
Keanu Reeves appears as John Wick in what is genuinely a supporting role, not a cameo. Because the film is set during his excommunicado run between Chapters 3 and 4, John is alive, hunted, and very much on brand — and the plot brings him and Eve into direct conflict before their goals align. The timeline placement is the clever part: it lets the spin-off borrow the franchise's lead without contradicting the ending of Chapter 4.
“Art is pain. Life is suffering.”
>Box office and reception
The honest read: Ballerina underperformed in theaters. Roughly $140 million worldwide against a reported $90 million budget made it the franchise's weakest theatrical earner relative to cost — a surprise, given Chapter 4 had cleared $440 million two years earlier. Critics landed at 75% on Rotten Tomatoes: praise for de Armas and the set pieces, with some reviews calling the plotting boilerplate.
Audiences disagreed — loudly. Its 92% audience score is the highest in the entire franchise, and the film found a strong second life on digital and streaming, where it has been credited as one of the year's better-performing action titles. The gap between its theatrical run and its home-viewing popularity became its own story.
>Where to watch Ballerina
As of June 2026, Ballerina streams on Starz in the US (alongside Chapter 4), and is available to rent or buy on Amazon Video and Apple TV. Streaming homes rotate frequently in this franchise — the up-to-date map for every film is on the where-to-watch page.
>Frequently Asked Questions
▸Is John Wick in Ballerina?
Yes. Keanu Reeves appears as John Wick in a substantial supporting role, including a fight sequence opposite Eve Macarro. The film is set during his excommunicado period, between Chapter 3 — Parabellum and Chapter 4.
▸When was Ballerina released?
Ballerina was released in theaters on June 6, 2025, by Lionsgate. It reached digital/VOD later that summer and is streaming on Starz as of mid-2026.
▸Where does Ballerina fit in the John Wick timeline?
Ballerina takes place between John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum and Chapter 4, during the period when John Wick is excommunicado with a global bounty on his head.
▸Who does Ana de Armas play in Ballerina?
Ana de Armas plays Eve Macarro, an assassin trained by the Ruska Roma — the same organization that raised John Wick — who goes rogue to hunt the cult that killed her father.
▸Was Ballerina a box office success?
Mixed. Ballerina grossed about $140 million worldwide against a reported $90 million budget — underwhelming theatrically — but earned a 75% critics score and a franchise-best 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and performed strongly on digital and streaming.
▸Do I need to watch the John Wick movies before Ballerina?
Not strictly — Eve’s story is self-contained — but watching at least Chapter 3 — Parabellum first adds a lot: the Ruska Roma, the Director, and John’s excommunicado status are all set up there.