Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. are back in “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera,” four years after their first action-packed heist thriller became a hit.

The Lionsgate movie has made $1.35 million in Thursday previews so far at the box office. It’s projected to make $11 million to $13 million in its opening weekend and will battle Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” for the box office crown.

Disney’s photorealistic “Lion King” prequel opened back on Dec. 20 and is on track for $12 million to $15 million in its fourth weekend. It kicked off the new year with $23.4 million last weekend, but it’ll go to second place under “Den of Thieves 2” if it loses some staying power.

The original “Den of Thieves” made $950,000 in Thursday previews when it debuted in January 2018. It launched with $15.2 million in its opening weekend and ended its run with $80 million. The sequel cost $40 million, byt Lionsgate…

See full article at Variety – Film News