Frank Grillo recently took a curious swing at Ballerina, the John Wick spin-off starring Ana de Armas, but not in the usual “the movie flopped” way. Instead, during a Peacemaker Season 2 interview, Grillo threw some serious shade at the film while hyping up his co-star Jennifer Holland, wife of James Gunn. “By the way, she’s a legit badass. I mean, if she was in Ballerina it would have been a successful movie. I mean, she is a killer,” Grillo said in the CBR interview. The comment got an immediate, playful response from his fellow castmates, turning the interview moment into a lighthearted roast.
So what’s the real story behind Ballerina’s shaky box office? The movie debuted domestically with around $25 million, short of its projected $35 million, and stalled there. Globally, it pulled in $132 million, with $74 million internationally and $58 million stateside (per Box Office Mojo). That might sound decent until you remember the budget: roughly $90 million to produce plus $45 million for domestic marketing (according to Deadline). Lionsgate, the studio behind the film, reported a $94 million net loss in the quarter that featured Ballerina’s release.
Still, critics and fans loved the movie. Ballerina sits “certified fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes, and scores a solid 92% on Popcornmeter based on more than 5,000 fan reviews. Critics gave it a respectable 76%, reflecting consistent praise across the board. Fans took to social media in the weeks after the June 6 release to heap praise on Ana de Armas’ performance. So if the buzz was there, why did the numbers fall short?
It’s a question studios face all the time: great reviews don’t always translate into box office gold. Could it be marketing missteps? Release timing? Or maybe the challenge of launching a spin-off in an already crowded action franchise? Whatever the reason, the “flop” label stuck, despite Ana de Armas’ work standing out.
Still, the dig from the Peacemaker cast seems a bit unfair. Ballerina was a decent action flick, and Ana de Armas was great in it. Unfortunately, the film just didn’t find an audience.
Meanwhile, back on their own set, Grillo’s dance skills came under fire, though not from critics. James Gunn, the writer and director of the show, called him a “terrible dancer” in the new season 2 opening credits, which feature a goofy dance sequence. “My knees were dying!” Grillo admitted at Entertainment Weekly‘s Comic-Con video suite. Initially against the choreography, saying, “I’m a serious actor,” Grillo eventually embraced the role of the show’s worst dancer, at least according to his castmates. Tim Meadows, who joined the season as foul-mouthed A.R.G.U.S. agent Langston Fleury, confessed he was even worse. Meanwhile, Holland and Freddie Stroma earned props for their moves.
Grillo reprises his role as Rick Flag Sr., the father of Rick Flag Jr., who died in The Suicide Squad (2021). His return adds a new dynamic to Peacemaker, which drops its second season on August 21 on HBO Max.
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