It isn't easy to sustain an action franchise in the streaming era, but on the flip-side, it's also more lucrative for studios to have alternate streams of income, pun intended. And it's majorly thanks to the cult following that it developed on PVOD platforms that the movie Den of Thieves earned a sequel. Released last week, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera essentially matched the original's performance in its first three days of release, and has since pushed the unlikely franchise past a coveted global box office milestone.
Den of Thieves 2 generated $20 million worldwide in its opening weekend, with $15 million of that total coming from stateside theaters. Released in 2018, the first Den of Thieves concluded its run with around $45 million domestically and $80 million worldwide. Combined, the two films have now grossed $100 million worldwide. Both films were directed by Christian Gudegast. While the first Den of Thieves cost a reported $30 million to produce and was distributed by STX Films, the sequel comes with a reported price tag of $40 million. It was distributed by the struggling Lionsgate, which hadn't delivered a number-one debut since 2023's The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
Both movies debuted at around $15 million domestically and received mixed reviews. The first Den of Thieves appears to have settled at a 41% rating on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, while the sequel currently holds an almost "fresh" 55% rating. In his review, Collider's Matthew Donato wrote that it "struts the strut but ruins the illusion when it talks." Both Den of Thieves movies have proven to be more popular with the crowds, having earned matching B+ CinemaScores. They've also earned comparisons to the films of Michael Mann, which is high praise for what could've ended up being a run-of-the-mill Gerard Butler vehicle.
'Den of Thieves 2' Will Probably Spawn Another Sequel If It Does Well Enough Close
The Scottish star previously led the Has Fallen trilogy past the $500 million mark worldwide, and is due to return for a fourth installment now that his legal differences with some of the series' producers have ended. He stars in the films alongside O'Shea Jackson Jr. Den of Thieves 2 takes the action to Europe, and will possibly spawn a third installment if it does well enough. The movie also features Evin Ahmad, Salvatore Esposito, Meadow Williams, Swen Temmel, Michael Bisping, and others.
You can watch Den of Thieves 2 in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
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Den of Thieves 2: Pantera
In the thrilling sequel, Big Nick pursues Donnie across Europe, entangled in the perilous realm of diamond thieves and the notorious Panther mafia. As tensions rise, they confront the formidable challenges of a colossal heist targeting the world's largest diamond exchange, setting off an intense battle of wits and resources.
Director Christian Gudegast Cast Gerard Butler , O'Shea Jackson Jr. , Meadow Williams , Jordan Bridges , Evin Ahmad , Swen Temmel , Bob Jennings , Michael Bisping , Salvatore Esposito , Orli Shuka , Cristian Solimeno , Nazmiye Oral , Yasen Zates Atour , Dino Kelly , Rico Verhoeven , Velibor Topic , Antonio Bustorff , Yuri D. Brown , Birol Tarkan Yıldız , John West Jr , Ciryl Gane , Mark Grosy , Ignacio Herráez , Stéphane Coulon Main Genre Action Expand
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