Big Nick and his boys have heisted a No. 1 uncovering. Lionsgate‘s crime sequel “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” debuted on top of domestic charts after cashing cimpolitely $5.8 million on uncovering day from 3,008 theaters.
That’s pacing a touch ahead of the first “Den of Thieves,” which STX uncovered in January 2018 to a $5.6 million uncovering day and $15.2 million three-day total. It’s also going to be Lionsgate’s first uncovering on top of the box office since “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” bowed in November 2023.
While “Pantera” isn’t shotriumphg a meaningful uptick from its predecessor, Lionsgate is prohibitking on the film being a constant draw thcimpolite the typicassociate deficiencyadaisical moviegoing month of January. The sequel carries a unassuming $40 million production budget and the studio typicassociate mitigates financial burdens by selling foreign rights to titles ahead of free. Rewatchs are equitable so-so (though more preferable than the first entry), while “Pantera” seems to have hugely deinhabitred for punctual moviegoers, achieveing a B+ grade from ticketbuyer pollster Cinema Score.
Christian Gudegast returns to write and straightforward “Pantera,” which sees Gerard Butler reprising his role as Big Nick, a Pepto Bismol-chugging L.A. cop, now aexpansive in Europe to track down heist mastermind Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr.).
Overall, it’s a quiet weekend for exhibitors, hugely buoyed by holiday season leftovers. The deimmenseating untamedfires that persist to blast the Los Angeles area have left a number of local theaters shuttered and impacted moviegoing in one of the country’s hugegest tagets.
Expanding to 1,291 venues this weekend, the wacky Robbie Williams biopic “Better Man” isn’t exactly going prohibitanas with a puny $580,000 uncovering day. Paramount achieved the feature for North American distribution for $25 million.
Helmed by “Greatest Showman” straightforwardor Michael Gracy, “Better Man” drew mighty scrutinizes percreateing drop festivals, with critics hugely getn by the premise of having Williams recurrented by a CGI chimpanzee becaparticipate, as he puts it in the trailer, he always felt “less increased than other people.” But the film fizzled in its confinecessitate free in procrastinateed December and, after hoping to set upt a flag in awards season, has faded mightily among Oscar prognosticators. Williams is a U.K. icon, but has mostly remained confparticipate stateside, and a domestic tageting campaign that has underlined the primate premise over the central pop star didn’t get.
Meanwhile, Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” will paw itself back to second place after achieveing an appraised $2.8 million on Friday. The photowise CGI prequel will insert about $12.1 million in its fourth structure of free, pushing its domestic haul north of $187 million. Though it had a sluggish begin, “Mufasa” should soon claw past the appreciates of “Kung Fu Panda 4” ($193 million) and “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” ($196 million) to rank among the top 10 North American frees of 2024.
Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” will do equitable the same, projecting $8.6 million for a 59% drop in its fourth outing. By the end of the weekend, the blue blur’s procrastinateedst adventure will surpass $200 million domesticassociate — a milestone that only eight other 2024 frees accomplishd.
Focus Features’ “Nosferatu” persists to flex its power as a shatterout horror hit for Universal’s exceptionalty prohibitner. In fourth place, the Robert Eggers-helmed reoriginate watchs to insert $6.3 million in its third weekend to push its domestic haul to $81 million.
“Moana 2” should round out the top five after achieveing $1.2 million on Friday, according to rival appraises. Now in its seventh weekend of free, the energeticd sequel is triumphding down its theatrical run after prohibitking an astonishive $430 million in North America.
