Den of Thieves 3 is officially in the works, and that brings a certain amount of relief following Den of Thieves 2: Pantera‘s box office performance. Following Big Nick and Donnie’s return in the sequel, Den of Thieves 2‘s ending left the door wide open for another installment. Franchise director Christian Gudegast and stars Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. all teased their hope to make more movies leading up to the sequel’s release. But, it was expected that Lionsgate would wait to see how Den of Thieves 2‘s box office fared before greenlighting another entry.

The good news is that the studio has enough belief in the franchise for it to continue on. Den of Thieves 3 is confirmed to be happening. Gudegast will return to write and direct the third installment, while Butler and Jackson Jr. are returning to star. Plot details and additional casting is not yet available, nor is there a release date for the third feature. Still, viewers who were hoping to see another Den of Thieves movie can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the franchise’s future is now secured. That’s warranted after some recent uncertainty.

Den Of Thieves 2’s Box Office Created Some Uncertainty About The Franchise’s Future

The Sequel Has Not Been As Big Of A Hit As Expected

Den of Thieves 2 gave audiences some reasons to doubt that a third film would happen as the box office receipts continued to pour in. The sequel started quite strong, opening at #1 domestically and nearly matching the performance of the first film by making $15 million. This seemed to position Den of Thieves 2 for success in the weeks to come, but the sequel has instead been met with steeper drops at the box office than the original endured. Furthermore, the international box office has not been nearly as kind to the sequel as the original Den of Thieves.

With a worldwide box office total of $41.8 million at the time of this writing, Den of Thieves 2 has only made a little more than half of its predecessor. The original 2017 heist movie made $80 million worldwide. That’s why there was some expectations that the sequel would eclipse that figure. Now, it will surely finish its box office run making less than Den of Thieves. Sequels making less than the previous movies is not normally a recipe for success in Hollywood, which is why concerns about if Den of Thieves 3 would happen started to rise.

Den Of Thieves 3’s Announcement Indicates That Den Of Thieves 2 Is A Success

Lionsgate Is Seemingly Happy With Den Of Thieves 2’s Performance

Now that Lionsgate has moved forward with Den of Thieves 3, it appears that Den of Thieves 2 is, or is on track to be, successful. The movie reportedly carried a $40 million budget. There is a general rule that a film needs to double its budget at the box office to break even. Den of Thieves 2 has not hit that mark, but Lionsgate’s costs may be lower than reported after acquiring the distribution rights after production was complete. The studio may also just be betting on the film turning a profit through PVOD sales and additional revenue streams.

In any case, Lionsgate likely would not have announced plans to make Den of Thieves 3 if Den of Thieves 2 was a mᴀssive disappointment and financial loss. The studio must be happy with the film’s performance and reception if it is going to finance another installment. That suggests Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is a success by some metric. Otherwise Lionsgate is taking a leap of faith believing that the third film will do significantly better.