NEW YORK — In a relatively quiet weekend for movie theaters, Lionsgate’s “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” emerged as the box office leader, earning $15.5 million according to initial studio reports released on Sunday. Much of Hollywood’s focus during this time has been on the wildfires currently affecting Los Angeles, a key market for box office sales.

Mid-January tends to be slower for film releases, a situation further complicated by the closure of approximately ten theaters in the Los Angeles area. “Den of Thieves 2,” a sequel to the 2018 heist thriller starring Gerard Butler, debuted similarly to its predecessor. When the first film launched seven years ago, it grossed $15.2 million. The sequel, which features O’Shea Jackson Jr. alongside Butler, opened in 3,008 North American theaters.

January is becoming a trend for releases featuring Butler, who previously starred in “Plane,” which earned $32.1 million during its launch on January 13, 2023. The production costs for “Den of Thieves 2” were about $40 million. While the film received a “B+” from audiences via CinemaScore, critical reviews were lukewarm, holding a rating of 58% on Rotten Tomatoes. Nevertheless, its debut marked Lionsgate’s first No. 1 box office opening since “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” in November 2023.

Additionally, this weekend saw the release of “Better Man,” a film about Robbie Williams that takes a unique approach to the music biopic genre. Instead of following the biographical style of Elton John’s “Rocketman” or the Elvis biopic, this film features the British pop star depicted by a CGI chimpanzee, directed by Michael Gracey. Despite its distinctive concept, the Paramount Pictures film performed poorly, grossing $1.1 million from 1,291 theaters. In contrast, Gracey’s previous film, “The Greatest Showman,” had a much more successful run, earning $459 million worldwide. However, reviews for “Better Man” have been largely positive.

Also surpassing “Better Man” was “The Last Showgirl,” a Las Vegas-themed drama starring Pamela Anderson, which expanded its release to 870 theaters and brought in $1.5 million. Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist,” which recently won the best drama award at the Golden Globes, also performed admirably, earning $1.4 million from just 68 locations in its opening.

Most of the box office earnings this weekend came from films still holding strong from the holiday season. “Mufasa: The Lion King” continued to perform well in its fourth week, adding $13.2 million to reach a worldwide total of $539.7 million. Similarly, “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” also in its fourth weekend, gained $11 million, boosting its global earnings to $384.8 million. The horror film “Nosferatu,” which was a hit over the Christmas period, added $6.8 million, bringing its domestic total to $81.1 million.

Disney’s “Moana 2,” now in its seventh week of release, contributed an additional $6.5 million, pushing its total to $989.8 million. It is on track to become the third Disney release of 2024 to cross the $1 billion mark, joining “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool and Wolverine.”

Final box office results will be published on Monday. For the weekend, estimated ticket sales from Friday through Sunday at theaters in the U.S. and Canada are as follows:
1. “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera,” $15.5 million.
2. “Mufasa: The Lion King,” $13.2 million.
3. “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” $11 million.
4. “Nosferatu,” $6.8 million.
5. “Moana 2,” $6.5 million.
6. “A Complete Unknown,” $5 million.
7. “Wicked,” $5 million.
8. “Babygirl,” $3.1 million.
9. “Game Changer,” $1.9 million.
10. “The Last Showgirl,” $1.5 million.