Gerard Butler's New $40 Million Action Movie Makes His Other 2025 Sequel A Bit Riskier

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera was meant to be the first of two successful action sequels for Gerard Butler in 2025. In addition to reprising his role as Stoick in the live-action How To Train Your Dragon movie, the release calendar for various studios aligned so that he would have three new movies this year. Den of Thieves 2 is the first of those films. Arriving seven years after the original, there was still reason to believe that the sequel would be a box office hit based on the predecessor's cult status and a solid opening weekend.

All this pointed to Butler likely having continued success throughout 2025. That's because Butler has another action movie sequel coming out later this year, with Lionsgate also distributing Greenland: Migration - a sequel to Butler's 2020 disaster movie. There is still a path for Gerard Butler's 2025 movies to succeed at the box office, but there is more uncertainty about that now. While the live-action How To Trian Your Dragon is among 2025's predicted highest-grossing movies, the Greenland sequel is a bigger risk than previously considered based on recent audience reactions to Butler-led action movies.

Den Of Thieves 2 Hasn't Been As Big Of A Box Office Hit As Expected

The Sequel Has Started To Fall Behind The Original

After Den of Thieves 2's opening weekend box office, everything looked to be in a good spot for the sequel to have sustained success. It opened at #1 at the domestic box office by making $15 million, surpassing projections but falling just behind the original Den of Thieves. That was seen as a great start for the heist film as the first movie made $80 million worldwide. However, Den of Thieves 2 has only made $40.6 million worldwide as of this writing. $32 million of that total comes domestically, while it only made $8.6 million internationally.

The low international output especially hurts Den of Thieves 2 considering its story and cast went international. There also are not many territories that it has yet to open in, which decreases the likelihood of a strong turnaround in its remaining theatrical run. Furthermore, Den of Thieves 2 is about $4.6 million behind the original's domestic total at the same point. Sequels are expected to do better than their predecessors typically. It's unlikely Den of Thieves 2 will do that, as it is tracking to make well under $80 million overall.

Gerard Butler's Greenland: Migration Already Has Uncertain Box Office Potential

Greenland Is A Less Proven Franchise At The Box Office

Gerard Butler in Greenland looking dirty and bloody

Den of Thieves 2's performance could raise concerns within Lionsgate about the prospects of Greenland: Migration at the box office. The original movie only made $40 million at the box office, and all of it came internationally. The movie did not receive a theatrical release domestically due to the pandemic. Although Greenland did great on PVOD, whether that would translate to audiences making the longer time commitment and potentially pricier trip to see the sequel in theaters was unclear from the very beginning.

If the sequel to his hit $80 million movie can barely make half that, how will a sequel to a film everyone watched at home do?

Still, there was likely some belief that Den of Thieves 2 could ultimately be used to help bolster Greenland: Migration's box office potential. Both are sequels to Gerard Butler action movies that were more cult hits than mega successes. Den of Thieves has a stronger box office history as a franchise thanks to the original film's performance. That's why the sequel's underperformance to this point could be troubling for Greenland 2. If the sequel to his hit $80 million movie can barely make half that, how will a sequel to a film everyone watched at home do? Possibly not well.

Why Greenland: Migration Could Be Bigger For Gerard Butler Than Den Of Thieves 2

Greenland: Migration May Have Wider Appeal

Gerard Butler holds his son in Greenland

There are still reasons to believe that Greeland: Migration can be a bigger hit for Gerard Butler. This film is coming out five years after the original, as opposed to the seven-year wait for Den of Thieves 2. Greenland could be fresher in audiences' minds and a world they are more excited about returning to. Whereas audiences may have somewhat forgotten about the enjoyment that came with the first Den of Thieves, there is a better chance that someone has seen Greenland on streaming more recently and is interested in a sequel.

There is also the plus of Greenland: Migration is likely a PG-13 movie (as the first one was) instead of being rated R like Den of Thieves 2. That creates wider appeal for the disaster movie sequel, which should help the box office. Greenland: Migration could also benefit if it has favorable critic reviews like the first movie did, something that neither of the Den of Thieves movies achieved. Ultimately, it could depend on when Lionsgate decides to release the film this year and what competition it faces, as Den of Thieves 2: Pantera quickly lost ground to other titles.