Den of Thieves 2: Pantera debuted on Netflix with a lot anticipation and pleasure that it’s straightforward to overlook that the movie started its life as a theatrical launch. Certainly, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera solely had an 18-day theatrical launch window earlier than the sequel was launched on VOD. Simply because the theatrical and VOD releases of Pantera triggered a resurgence in recognition for the primary Den of Thieves movie, the sequel’s anticipated streaming recognition and robust VOD efficiency led to the announcement of Den of Thieves 3.
Such calculations have outlined the latest profession of Den of Thieves collection star Gerard Butler, whose decidedly formulaic and uninspired starring motion automobiles have been primarily geared towards streaming audiences. Accordingly, whereas the function of rule-breaking Los Angeles police detective Nick O’Brien in Den of Thieves 2: Pantera and its predecessor have offered Butler with arguably essentially the most distinctive and fascinating character he’s performed over the previous decade, Butler’s streaming stardom has resulted in a profession paradox, during which audiences are rather more inclined to need to watch his starring automobiles by way of streaming and VOD than in a theater.
‘Den of Thieves 2’ Embodies Gerard Butler’s Transition from A-Listing Star to B-Film Motion Hero
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera
3
/5
- Launch Date
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January 10, 2025
- Runtime
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144 minutes
- Director
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Christian Gudegast
- Writers
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Christian Gudegast
After Gerard Butler achieved main stardom along with his fiery efficiency as King Leonidas within the 2006 historic motion movie 300, he displayed spectacular versatility within the genres of motion, drama, and romantic comedy. Nevertheless, Butler encountered a profession precipice with the industrial and demanding failure of the 2017 catastrophe movie Geostorm, which had a harmful impact on his profession and led to his jolting transition from borderline A-list Hollywood star to B-movie motion hero, starting in 2018 with the discharge of Den of Thieves.
Within the roughly seven-year hole between the releases of Den of Thieves and Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, Butler’s profession has been completely dedicated to modestly budgeted motion automobiles during which he invariably performs a seemingly odd guy-hero who finds redemption by purging display screen villains in usually brutal methods. That is particularly seen within the 2023 motion thriller movie Airplane, during which he performs a widowed take-no-prisoners industrial airline pilot who, after performing an emergency touchdown on a distant island within the Philippines, is pressured to summon his extraordinary aptitude for violence to save lots of his passengers from a military of terrorists.
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Whereas Den of Thieves 2: Pantera places a slight spin on this system by having Butler’s character, disgraced Los Angeles police detective Nick O’Brien, seemingly swap sides by touring to Europe to affix a crew of thieves in executing an elaborate diamond heist, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera in any other case proves that whereas Butler stays an endearing action-hero presence, his display screen persona has grow to be too predictable for him to have the ability to elevate his motion automobiles above being merely diverting and watchable.
Butler Has Change into a Poor Man’s Jason Statham
One in every of Gerard Butler’s closest contemporaries is Jason Statham, who made his display screen appearing debut in Man Ritchie’s 1998 black comedy crime movie Lock, Inventory and Two Smoking Barrels, whereas Butler starred in Ritchie’s 2008 crime comedy movie RocknRolla, which options certainly one of his most memorable performances as a small-time gangster named One-Two. Nevertheless, whereas his profession eclipsed that of Statham’s all through the 2000s, and even a number of years past, Statham’s profession has clearly surpassed Butler’s profession over the previous decade, each when it comes to box-office success and Statham’s means to use high quality management rules to his profession.
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Certainly, Statham’s benefit over Butler owes primarily to his superior selection of collaborators and materials, as whereas he hasn’t labored with a outstanding director since Alex Proyas on the 2016 fantasy motion movie Gods of Egypt, Statham has, along with his continued relationship with Ritchie, aligned himself with such administrators as Paul Feig, James Wan, Simon West, and, most lately, David Ayer on the 2024 motion thriller movie The Beekeeper.
Furthermore, the agile Statham merely appears significantly better than the more and more weathered Butler, although he’s roughly two and a half years older than Butler. Whereas Statham’s martial arts coaching has enabled him to keep up an aura of realism along with his regularly spectacular struggle scenes, the 55-year-old Butler acts and appears each bit his age.
Butler’s Streaming Recognition Killed His Field-Workplace Drawing Energy
Throughout its restricted theatrical run, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera grossed $57.1 million on the worldwide field workplace, Gerald Butler’s second-highest theatrical complete over the previous 5 years, behind the $74.5 million worldwide gross of Airplane. Butler’s final starring car to gross over $100 million on the worldwide field workplace was the third installment within the Has Fallen movie collection, the 2019 motion thriller Angel Has Fallen, which completed its theatrical run with a worldwide gross of over $146 million.
The movie noticed a usually constructive viewers and demanding response, because it presently holds a 63% important ranking and 79% viewers rating on Rotten Tomatoes, far above the numbers for Den of Thieves. Nevertheless, Butler’s lackluster box-office monitor document over the previous decade demonstrates that his core viewers has grow to be more and more consolidated and exhibits no indicators of increasing, besides on Netflix, the place Butler stays a famous person. Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is streaming on Netflix.