Lionsgate's Den of Thieves 2: Pantera earned an estimated $15.5 million in ticket sales at the North American box office this weekend.
"It's a good start for the second installment in a series of crime thrillers," said analyst David A. Gross. "These movies are for the audience, not the critics."
Gerald Butler plays Los Angeles sheriff "Big Nick," who travels to Europe in pursuit of a dangerous gang of thieves. The story was inspired by the 2003 Antwerp heist worth $100 million - the largest diamond heist in history.
Disney's animated Mufasa: The Lion King slipped down one spot from last weekend to $13.2 million. Its cumulative ticket sales topped the half-billion-dollar mark - $188.7 million domestically and $350 million internationally.
Paramount's action comedy Sonic the Hedgehog 3 also dropped one spot to third. The video game-based film sold $11 million in tickets for the Friday-to-Sunday period.
Also down one spot from last weekend was the Dracula-inspired vampire film Nosferatu with $6.8 million.
Dropping from fourth to fifth place was Disney's blockbuster Moana 2 with $6.5 million. Seven-week ticket sales were $434.9 million in North America and $554 million internationally. | BGNES, AFP
