Gerard Butler’s ‘Den of Thieves 2’ Targets $12 Million Debut as 2025 Box Office Starts Slow

variety.com:

Rebecca Rubin Senior Film and Media Reporter Will a gritty, globe-trotting police officer and an anthropomorphic chimpanzee pop star be able to kickstart the 2025 box office?

The year’s first two new nationwide releases, Lionsgate’s “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera,” a heist thriller starring Gerard Butler as a caper-busting sheriff, and Paramount’s big-budget “Better Man,” a musical biopic in which a CGI monkey portrays the British singer Robbie Williams, are hoping to draw audiences to the big screen amid the post-holiday doldrums.

However, wildfires ravaging though parts of Los Angeles could affect moviegoing in one of the biggest theatrical markets in the country.

Paramount canceled the L.A. premiere of “Better Man” due to the fires and extreme winds. The sequel to “Den of Thieves” is aiming for $11 million to $13 million from 3,000 North American theaters over the weekend, while “Better Man” is projected to bring in $2 million from a slimmer screen count of 1,200 venues.