Those holding out hope that we’ll see Big Nick and Donnie reunite once more for another totally bats*** crazy heist might not want to hold their breath. “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” hit theaters in early January and topped the box office with $15.5 million. It essentially matched the original’s opening weekend from 2018, which suggested there was a loyal following for this budding franchise. But the outlook has worsened as the weeks have gone on, and the odds of “Den of Thieves” 3 is happening are looking less sure by the minute.
As of this writing, Lionsgate’s sequel has earned $31.8 million domestically to go with $8.6 million overseas for a running total of $40.4 million worldwide. Director Christian Gudegast’s film carries a $40 million budget, which doesn’t account for marketing. Since theaters keep roughly half of the money earned from ticket sales, this one still has a long way to go before it reaches profitability. Unfortunately, it’s fading fast.
In its third weekend, “Pantera” dropped nearly 55%, taking in just $3 million. For contrast, the original “Den of Thieves” held much better, pulling in $4.5 million in its third weekend, ultimately finishing with $80.5 million worldwide. $44.9 million of that came from domestic ticket sales. That first entry also had a lower $30 million price tag. So the sequel would need to make more to break even, yet it’s currently falling faster week to week.
Lionsgate is recovering from its worst year ever at the box office in 2024. The studio is just one part of the equation here and they tend to insulate themselves from risk by bringing on financial partners, usually selling off overseas rights to help cover costs. As far as their investment is concerned, Lionsgate may well be happy with what’s going on domestically. But other companies such as G-BASE and Diamond Film Productions are involved. Can the puzzle come together in the end to make a third film make sense? That’s the big question.