In a quiet weekend at the box office, Lionsgate's "Den of Thieves 2: Pantera" emerged as the top performer with $15.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates. This sequel to the 2018 heist thriller starring Gerard Butler debuted in 3,008 North American theaters, garnering a "B+" CinemaScore from audiences despite receiving mixed reviews with a 58% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The weekend also saw the release of the Robbie Williams biopic "Better Man," a unique take on the music biopic genre that portrays the British popstar with a CGI chimpanzee. While the film received positive reviews, it failed to resonate with audiences, earning only $1.1 million from 1,291 locations. In contrast, the Las Vegas drama "The Last Showgirl" starring Pamela Anderson and Brady Corbet's postwar epic "The Brutalist" outperformed "Better Man" with $1.5 million and $1.4 million in ticket sales, respectively.
Despite these new releases, holiday holdovers like "Mufasa: The Lion King," "Sonic the Hedgehog 3," "Nosferatu," and "Moana 2" continued to dominate the box office. Barry Jenkins' "Mufasa" added $13.2 million to its total, bringing it to $539.7 million worldwide, while "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" reached $384.8 million globally. Robert Eggers' "Nosferatu" collected $6.8 million, pushing its domestic total to $81.1 million, and Disney's "Moana 2" added $6.5 million, nearing the $1 billion mark.
Overall, the weekend box office was characterized by a mix of new releases struggling to find an audience and established films maintaining their stronghold. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday, providing a comprehensive look at the weekend's ticket sales across U.S. and Canadian theaters.