The Poster Memorabilia blog

The Most Dangerous Ballerina in Town

A cross-country flight for one night at the Chinese Theatre, and the assassin who earned it.

By an anonymous Hollywood insider

Female badasses haven't been getting the representation they deserve in movies lately. Back in the day, we had Lara Croft, Charlie's Angels, the Bride from Kill Bill, and even Atomic Blonde just less than a decade ago. But now, such strong women are sparse, which is why Ballerina stood out in 2025.

Born from the John Wick universe, Ballerina puts Ana de Armas front and center as Eve Macarro, an assassin and ballerina rolled into one badass chick who's in for the kill. Not too far from John Wick himself, who also appears in the film, Macarro is on a vengeful rampage as she takes on an army of killers to avenge her father's death.

Sounds like the typical action movie, doesn't it? Truth be told, the movie hinges on the John Wick formula to a T, just with a female protagonist. But I didn't mind! We need more badass women leading big-budget movies, and more studios willing to bet on them.

And I gotta say, Ana de Armas killed it (pun intended) in the role. She's no stranger to action films, but this was the first time she carried one of this scale on her own. She didn't just knock it out of the park, but she made the women who came before her—the characters I mentioned in the intro—proud.

“John Wick can take a rest for a while.”

I know the film didn't set the box office on fire, but I hope its modest success was enough to convince Lionsgate to make more Ballerina movies. But if they don't, at least we still had this gem. It's also streaming now, depending on your region, so we can still watch it again and again.

I'll definitely enjoy it while I relish the fact that I actually got to meet the cast at the movie's LA premiere. They held it at the TCL Chinese Theatre on June 3, 2025, and I traveled from the East Coast just to see them in person.

Having Ana de Armas as the lead and the awesome trailers were more than enough to push me to go to the premiere. And I'm not a stranger to LA, either. I lived here when I went to UCLA, and going to movie premieres was practically a pastime for my college friends and me back then.

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With a cast that also includes icons like Keanu Reeves, Anjelica Huston, Ian McShane, and Norman Reedus, I didn't want to miss this chance to get their autographs. I hadn't been this excited for a John Wick movie since the first one, and that was over a decade ago.

Heaven smiled on me that day because almost the entire cast showed up for the premiere, along with director Len Wiseman. They all looked incredible, too.

I've always thought Ana de Armas is one of the most striking actresses working today, and she proved it on that carpet in a lilac gown with silver beading. She's also finally getting the kind of leading-lady attention she's deserved since Knives Out.

Keanu Reeves, Anjelica Huston, Ian McShane, and Norman Reedus all looked exactly like the bosses they are. I'm also happy to confirm that Reeves truly is so nice and lovely in person. His engaging personality wasn't just put on for the cameras. He was so personable during our interaction.

I doubt we'll get another Ballerina movie, but I'd really love it if they made a sequel. John Wick can take a rest for a while; let Eve Macarro do the killing for now.

Some things you watch. This one you keep.

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