‘Den of Thieves 2' Steals Box Office Crown With $15 Million, Robbie Williams Biopic ‘Better Man' Tanks With $1 Million Debut

Lionsgate's heist movie "Den of Thieves 2: Pantera" dominated the box office, opening at number one with $15.5 million from 3,008 theaters in North America.

The sequel to 2018's "Den of Thieves" did well at the box office, performing as well as or slightly better than its predecessor, which earned $15.2 million in its opening weekend. The first film opened in January and went on to make $80 million worldwide. The second film has a larger production budget of $40 million and will need to continue to attract viewers throughout its run. Audiences liked the movie more than professional critics; it received a "B+" grade on CinemaScore and 58% on Rotten Tomatoes. Gerard Butler played the role of Big Nick, a tough police officer from Los Angeles who is now searching for Donnie (O'Shea Jackson Jr.), an ex-marine who has turned to a life of crime and is planning a massive diamond heist in Europe.

These movies are made for the people watching, not for critics," says David A. Gross, head of the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. "Gerard Butler is an established action hero, and this kind of good guys vs. bad guys type of movie typically does well around the world. Foreign box office revenue should be strong.

As moviegoers had become disillusioned with films like the video game adaptation "Boderlands" was quoted, "The Crow" reboot, and Halle Berry's thriller "Never Let Go", Lionsgate's lineup in 2025 is looking up, marketed as it is with debuts such as a spinoff of "John Wick" called "Ballerina," "Saw XI," and the Michael Jackson biopic "Michael" on schedule.

A new movie, "Better Man," based on the life of British singer Robbie Williams, underperformed at the box office with only $1 million in earnings from 1,291 theaters, a smaller number than average for a national release. The film, directed by Michael Gracey, tells the story of Williams' success through the perspective of a CGI chimpanzee since Williams has said he feels "less evolved than other people." In the UK, where Williams is more well-known, the movie started with $1.9 million and has brought in a total of $4.7 million, which doesn't look promising for its commercial prospects, despite positive reviews.

"The Better Man" was made for approximately $110 million and then bought by Paramount for around $25 million. Musicals based on famous people's lives have become more popular lately. Just in the last three years, movies about Amy Winehouse, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston, and Bob Dylan were released, but some ("Back to Black" being another example) are likely to flop at the box office.

This outlandish choice, featuring Robbie Williams as a digitally animated chimpanzee, is exactly the kind of bold move audiences have been calling for," says Gross. "However, taking such a risk would likely be costly, with a budget of $110 million being too high for this type of project featuring a musical artist like Robbie Williams. Somewhere in the range of $25 to $30 million would have been a more reasonable budget for the genre.

"Better Man" debuted in 14th place, far behind other specialty films playing at a limited number of theaters. A24's "The Brutalist," a three-hour-30-minute historical epic with an intermission, took in $1.38 million from just 68 theaters. The film recently picked up Golden Globe awards for best drama, best director (Brady Corbet), and best actor (Adrien Brody), who plays a fictional architect (László Tóth) who immigrates to the US after the Holocaust to start a new life. "The Brutalist" will expand into a limited number of theaters nationwide next weekend, with a wider release (including Imax screens) planned for January 24.

One of the largest theatrical markets in the United States.

In second place, Disney's "Mufasa" earned $13.5 million from 3,620 venues during its fourth weekend in theaters. The Lion King prequel, which initially struggled, has seen improvement after its release, having brought in $189 million domestically and $500 million globally up to this point.

A rival holiday release, Paramount's "Sonic the Hedgehog 3," ranked third with $11 million from 3,582 theaters. The third installment about a blue, anthropomorphic speedster has reached a domestic total of over $204 million and a global total of over $350 million.

More to come…

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