John Wick Movies Ranked: Best to Worst, Including Ballerina

I rank John Wick movies on four things: the craft of the action, how well the story carries John from one place to the next, the strength of the supporting ensemble, and how well the film holds up on a second viewing. That is my opinion, not a formula. Audience and critic scores shift over time and say little about why a set piece works, so I leave them out. Box office and budget appear as context only, and they come from Box Office Mojo.

Here is the list, best to worst: 1. John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023). 2. John Wick (2014). 3. John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum (2019). 4. John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017). 5. Ballerina (2025). If you want the order to watch them in rather than the order I rank them, the john wick movies in order guide covers both release and chronological order.

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023), directed by Chad Stahelski, is the best film in the series because it is the one where the craft and the story finally pull in the same direction. John has survived Winston's shot and hides with the Bowery King, then decides to go after the High Table. The Marquis, played by Bill Skarsgård, answers by destroying the New York Continental and forcing Caine, a blind retired assassin played by Donnie Yen, to hunt John down. That gives the film a proper rival, which the earlier sequels lacked.

The set pieces are where it pulls away. TheWrap's interview with cinematographer Dan Laustsen describes an overhead shot that had to be built in Germany, plus night for day sequences in Paris. Screen Daily reports the Paris shoot reached the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe. It could be argued that 170 minutes is a long sit, and it is the longest in the series. In my opinion, though, the length is the point, because each location gets its own fight and none of them repeats another. It also carries the best songs in the series, with Eye for an Eye by Rina Sawayama and Nowhere to Run by Lola Colette. For the full cast, see john wick 4.

John Wick (2014), directed by Chad Stahelski, ranks second because it tells a complete story in 101 minutes and never wastes a scene. John is a retired hitman grieving his wife Helen. A puppy she arranged for him is killed when Iosef Tarasov, played by Alfie Allen, breaks in and steals his classic car. The revenge plot is simple, and that is its strength: Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist), Marcus (Willem Dafoe) and Winston (Ian McShane) each get room to matter.

It also cost only $20 million, according to Box Office Mojo, and still grossed $86 million worldwide. Every later film is bigger, but, as a piece of tight practical action filmmaking, the first one is the template. Start with john wick 2014 if you are new to the series.

John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum (2019), directed by Chad Stahelski, is the film where the series becomes a saga, and I rank it third because it grows faster than its story. John has killed a member of the High Table inside the Continental, so he is declared excommunicado and given a short grace period before a huge bounty takes effect. He runs through Manhattan, then goes to the Director of the Ruska Roma, played by Anjelica Huston, who sends him to Casablanca to find the Elder.

The ensemble is excellent: Halle Berry as Sofia, Mark Dacascos as Zero and Asia Kate Dillon as the Adjudicator. It grossed $328 million worldwide on a $75 million budget, nearly four times the first film. That being said, the plot feels like a long journey with a lot of stops, and the film leans on its world more than on John himself. It still has more variety in its action than any other entry. See john wick 3.

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), directed by Chad Stahelski, ranks fourth because it widens the world well but spends much of its time setting up the next film. Riccardo Scamarcio plays Santino D'Antonio. Production moved to Rome after New York, as Screen Global Production reported, and the same piece covered Italy's film incentives.

Laurence Fishburne plays the Bowery King, with Common as Cassian and Ruby Rose as Ares. At 122 minutes and a $40 million budget, it grossed $174 million worldwide. Perhaps I am being harsh, and plenty of fans rank it above Chapter 3, but, in my opinion, it is the film that leans hardest on the idea of a bigger world without giving John a personal reason to care. See john wick 2.

Ballerina (2025), directed by Len Wiseman, ranks fifth, and I want to be fair about why. It is a spin-off set during Chapter 3, with Ana de Armas as Eve, who is raised in the Ruska Roma after her father is killed by a cult. Her search leads to Prague, where she meets Daniel Pine (Norman Reedus), a cult member on the run with his daughter Ella, and then toward Hallstatt in Austria.

It carries real weight for fans, since it holds Lance Reddick's final appearance as Charon, per TheWrap, and Keanu Reeves returns as John, billed second. It cost $90 million and grossed $140 million worldwide, the weakest return in the series, and it was moved from its original June 7, 2024 date to June 6, 2025. In my view, it is a good fit for viewers who want more of the world, and a weaker fit for those who came for John. See ballerina john wick.

John Wick: Chapter 4 is a hit, with $447 million worldwide on a $100 million budget according to Box Office Mojo. That is the highest gross in the series. Its domestic total was $187 million. The full figures for every film are on the john wick box office page.

The most seen John Wick movie in theaters is Chapter 4, because it has the highest gross. Box office is the audience measure I use here. If you want to see where they stream now, check where to watch john wick.

John Wick: Chapter 5 is in development at Lionsgate with Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski. Lionsgate announced it at CinemaCon on April 1, 2025, according to TheWrap and Screen Daily, and neither gave a release date. I will revisit this ranking once the film is out. For the latest on it, read john wick 5, and for our verdicts on each film, see john wick reviews.