Den of Thieves 2: Panterahas now debuted on Rotten Tomatoes, and Gerard Butler’s sequel is faring better than the original. After the success of 2018’sDen of Thieves, Butler returns as Big Nick for follow-up that leaves the streets of L.A. behind for various locales across Europe as he joins Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) to steal from a major diamond exchange. With the sequel, directed again by Christian Gudegast, now playing in theaters,Den of Thieves 2reviewsare now pouring in from critics, and the movie is off to a generally strong start.
As reviews come in,Den of Thieves 2: Panterahas now debuted onRotten Tomatoesto a respectable score of 65% from 23 reviews, as of writing. Though this score is sure to fluctuate as more reviews are added, the sequel is currently beating the original by a fairly significant margin, with the original only carrying a 41% score from 135 reviews.Panteradoesn’t yet have an audience score, but one should take shape this weekend after more people actually see the movie.
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65%
What Den Of Thieves Rotten Tomatoes Score Means For The Movie
Will The Sequel Repeat The Original Movie’s Success?
The audience score for the firstDen of Thievesmay be somewhat lukewarm, but the movie was a success in theaters, grossing $80.5 million on a $30 million budget. In addition to theatrical success, the film ended up becoming a major hit on streaming, which undoubtedly factored into the decision to make a sequel. IfPanteraends up faring well with audiences, it seems likely that the movie will end up matching the original’s success, especially sincethe early Rotten Tomatoes score could suggest that it will benefit from positive word-of-mouth.
Why Den Of Thieves 2 Took 7 Years To Happen
Despite the first movie’s success, it’s taken seven years for Den of Thieves 2: Pantera to come to the screen. Why did it take so long?
Panterasucceeding means that audiences could end up getting another adventure with Donnie and Big Nick.Den of Thieves 3hasn’t yet been confirmed, butButler recently toldScreen Rantthat he hopes if a follow-up movie does happen, the wait for audiences won’t be as long. There were almost seven years between theDen of Thievesendingand the sequel, andButler told us that “It’s not going to take that long” for another installment.
Our Take On Den Of Thieves 2’s Rotten Tomatoes Score
Pantera Could Cement A New Butler Action Franchise
Butler is a fixture of the action movie space, but not a lot of his movies end up faring well with critics. Though it’s certainly possible thatPanterawill end up falling to a “Rotten” status after dozens more reviews come in,it’s refreshing that Butler seems, so far, to have another quality action movie coming out. The last Butler action movie that ended up faring well with critics wasPlanein 2023, while other titles likeKandahar(2023),Last Seen Alive(2022), andAngel Has Fallen(2019) were met with more muted receptions.
If audiences enjoyPantera, Butler may truly have another successful action franchise on his hands, andit would be great to see Big Nick return for another adventure in a potentialDen of Thieves 3. Whether another movie is on the cards remains to be seen, however, and howDen of Thieves 2: Panteraperforms this weekend will likely be a strong indicator regarding the franchise’s future.
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera
Cast
Sheriff “Big Nick” O’Brien tracks Donnie Wilson to Europe after his daring escape. As Donnie becomes deeply involved with diamond thieves and the Panther mafia, the stakes rise with a plan to rob the world’s largest diamond exchange.
