Den of Thieves 2 wins box office, Moana 2 approaches $1 billion worldwide
In a win for Gerard Butler and Lionsgate, picture robbery Den of Thieves 2: Pantera It topped the domestic box office with a better-than-expected opening of $15.5 million over its second full weekend of 2025.
The testosterone-fueled film, produced by Tucker Tully, marks the first weekend in months that a Lionsgate title has held the No. 1 spot. In more good news, the sequel performed on par with the first. Den of thievesReleased by STX in 2018.
So far, movie viewing does not appear to have been significantly affected in the greater Los Angeles area despite historic fires burning throughout the region (Los Angeles is the largest market in the country), according to studio distribution sources monitoring the situation. They say they will have a more complete picture later Sunday or Monday morning. While there was a slowdown at some locations — including AMC Universal Citywalk and AMC Americana Glendale — Los Angeles movie theaters continued to lead the list of top-grossing theaters on the weekend, or at least through Saturday. In terms of closures, only four smaller theaters were closed as of Friday; Most of them were in the Altadena-Pasadena area.
In terms of individual films, the big casualty of the weekend was the Robbie Williams biopic A better man. The film, distributed by Paramount, grossed just $1.1 million as it expanded from six to 1,291 locations after opening in a handful of theaters on Christmas Day. The expensive British film — which cost upwards of $100 million to produce — received strong reviews and exit scores from audiences, yet did not resonate more widely after casting the British pop star as a computer-generated monkey.
And on the other end of the spectrum, the multiple Golden Globe Award winner Brutal It boomed as it expanded to 68 locations, grossing $1.4 million and a staggering per-theater average of $20,408. The film came in 11th place, just behind awards contender Roadside Accommodation The last showgirlwhich earned $1.5 million as it expanded to 870 locations.
Back at the top of the chart, Disney Mufasa: The Lion King The film remained in second place with revenues of $13.2 million, as the film exceeded $540 million worldwide. The studio also took fifth place with Moana 2which earned another $6.5 million domestically as it prepares to join the billion-dollar club globally. The animated blockbuster finished Sunday with an estimated $989.8 million in ticket sales worldwide.
Paramount Sonic the Hedgehog 3 It also celebrated a major milestone as it crossed the $200 million mark domestically. The film took third place in North America with $11 million, followed by $6.8 million for Focus Features’ vampire thriller. Nosferatuwhich now has a domestic total of $81.8 million.
Searchlight Awards is the first runner-up, Completely anonymouslanded at number six with $5 million, and jumped to $50 million domestically.
More to come.