‘John Wick’ Meets ‘The Northman’ in HBO Max’s New Official Late-Night Sleeper Hit

The success of the John Wick franchise may not have spilled over to the spin-off movie Ballerina, but it has certainly helped several similar action movies perform better than they may have otherwise. Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas in the titular role and featuring Keanu Reeves in an extended cameo, grossed around $140 million worldwide against a relatively high budget of $90 million. A movie released amid the action franchise's successful run, produced by David Leitch, one of the co-directors of the original John Wick, is witnessing a streaming resurgence ahead of its sequel's release later this year.

The impact that the John Wick movies have had on the industry is akin to the streak of action movies featuring older male stars that followed the success of Taken, starring Liam Neeson. Atomic Blonde, directed by Leitch and starring Charlize Theron, grossed $100 million worldwide in 2017. The Beekeeper, starring Jason Statham, grossed more than $160 million globally a couple of years ago. Even Johnny Depp seems to be getting in on the action, with the upcoming film Day Drinker. Meanwhile, several John Wick-inspired action movies — Kate, Gunpowder Milkshake, and Polar to name three — were released directly on streaming.