Gerard Butler and Lionsgate scored a win as the heist film Den of Thieves 2: Pantera exceeded expectations, debuting with $15.5 million at the domestic box office during the second weekend of 2025.
The action-packed sequel, produced by Tucker Tooley, is Lionsgate’s first No. 1 release in months. Impressively, Den of Thieves 2 matched the performance of the original 2018 film, released by STX.
Despite the historic fires in the greater Los Angeles area, moviegoing hasn’t been significantly affected, according to studio distribution sources. L.A., the country’s top market, continued to see strong theater attendance through Saturday, though some venues, like AMC Universal Citywalk and AMC Americana Glendale, experienced slight slowdowns. As of Friday, only four smaller theaters, mostly in the Altadena-Pasadena area, were closed. A fuller assessment of the impact is expected by Sunday or Monday.
The Robbie Williams biopic Better Man struggled at the box office this weekend, earning only $1.1 million as it expanded to 1,291 locations after a limited Christmas Day release. Distributed by Paramount, the British film had a hefty production budget of over $100 million. Despite positive reviews and strong audience feedback, the movie has failed to connect with broader audiences, likely impacted by its unusual choice to portray the British pop star as a CGI monkey.
On a brighter note, Golden Globes frontrunner The Brutalist thrived as it expanded to 68 locations, earning $1.4 million with an impressive per-theater average of $20,408. It secured 11th place, just behind Roadside Attractions’ awards contender The Last Showgirl, which grossed $1.5 million from 870 locations following its December awards-qualifying run.The film, directed by Gia Coppola, features Pamela Anderson in a starring role.
At the top of the box office, Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King held strong in second place, earning $13.2 million and pushing its global total past $540 million. Meanwhile, Moana 2 secured fifth place, adding $6.5 million domestically. The animated hit is on the brink of the billion-dollar milestone, closing Sunday with an estimated $989.8 million in global earnings.
Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 hit a significant milestone, surpassing $200 million domestically and $394 million globally, with $180.3 million from international markets. The film ranked third in North America, earning $11 million. Close behind was Focus Features’ Nosferatu, which grossed $6.8 million, bringing its domestic total to $81.8 million and its international earnings to $53.9 million, for a global total of $135.8 million.
Searchlight’s awards contender A Complete Unknown secured sixth place with $5 million, crossing the $50 million threshold domestically. The film gained further momentum after receiving top SAG nominations earlier in the week.
The Bob Dylan biopic, featuring Timothée Chalamet, earned four nominations, the second-highest of any film, trailing only Universal’s smash hit Wicked, which closed Sunday with nearly $700 million in global ticket sales.