Big Nick and his boys have heisted a No. 1 opening. Lionsgate‘s crime sequel “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” debuted on top of domestic charts after cashing roughly $5.8 million on opening day from 3,008 theaters.
That’s pacing a touch ahead of the first “Den of Thieves,” which STX opened in January 2018 to a $5.6 million opening day and $15.2 million three-day total. It’s also going to be Lionsgate’s first opening on top of the box office since “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” bowed in November 2023.
While “Pantera” isn’t showing a significant uptick from its predecessor, Lionsgate is banking on the film being a steady draw through the typically lackadaisical moviegoing month of January. The sequel carries a modest $40 million production budget and the studio typically mitigates financial burdens by selling foreign rights to titles ahead of release. Reviews are just so-so (though more positive than the first entry), while “Pantera” seems to have largely delivered for early moviegoers, earning a B+ grade from ticketbuyer pollster Cinema Score.
Christian Gudegast returns to write and direct “Pantera,” which sees Gerard Butler reprising his role as Big Nick, a Pepto Bismol-chugging L.A. cop, now abroad in Europe to track down heist mastermind Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr.).
Overall, it’s a quiet weekend for exhibitors, largely buoyed by holiday season leftovers. The devastating wildfires that continue to blast the Los Angeles area have left a number of local theaters shuttered and impacted moviegoing in one of the country’s biggest markets.
Expanding to 1,291 venues this weekend, the wacky Robbie Williams biopic “Better Man” isn’t exactly going bananas with a puny $580,000 opening day. Paramount acquired the feature for North American distribution for $25 million.
Helmed by “Greatest Showman” director Michael Gracy, “Better Man” drew strong reviews playing fall festivals, with critics largely taken by the premise of having Williams represented by a CGI chimpanzee because, as he puts it in the trailer, he always felt “less evolved than other people.” But the film fizzled in its limited release in late December and, after hoping to plant a flag in awards season, has faded mightily among Oscar prognosticators. Williams is a U.K. icon, but has mostly remained obscure stateside, and a domestic marketing campaign that has emphasized the primate premise over the central pop star didn’t take.
Meanwhile, Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” will paw itself back to second place after earning an estimated $2.8 million on Friday. The photorealistic CGI prequel will add about $12.1 million in its fourth frame of release, pushing its domestic haul north of $187 million. Though it had a slow start, “Mufasa” should soon claw past the likes of “Kung Fu Panda 4” ($193 million) and “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” ($196 million) to rank among the top 10 North American releases of 2024.
Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” will do just the same, projecting $8.6 million for a 59% drop in its fourth outing. By the end of the weekend, the blue blur’s latest adventure will surpass $200 million domestically — a milestone that only eight other 2024 releases achieved.
Focus Features’ “Nosferatu” continues to flex its power as a breakout horror hit for Universal’s specialty banner. In fourth place, the Robert Eggers-helmed remake looks to add $6.3 million in its third weekend to push its domestic haul to $81 million.
“Moana 2” should round out the top five after earning $1.2 million on Friday, according to rival estimates. Now in its seventh weekend of release, the animated sequel is winding down its theatrical run after banking an impressive $430 million in North America.
