One of the first major movies of 2025 was Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, a sequel to the 2018 heist/thriller film Den of Thieves. The film followed the further exploits of O’Shea Jackson Jr.’s Donnie Wilson and Gerard Butler’s Big Nick as the two former enemies were forced to join forces to complete a diamond heist in Europe. Den of Thieves 2 debuted to middling reviews, but still managed to be a box office success, paving the way for another installment in the fledgling franchise, Den of Thieves 3, to be officially announced.
Heist films are very well-worn territory at this point, with plenty of tropes and character archetypes that even people who aren’t fans of the genre will know, enough that Den of Thieves 2‘s twist ending wasn’t much of a surprise. While Den of Thieves is a newcomer to the scene, it has already blown past other movies in the genre by becoming a full franchise relatively quickly, such as the 1995 classic Michael Mann heist movie, Heat, long thought of as one of the best heist movies of all time.
Den Of Thieves Became A Movie Franchise Before Heat Could Thanks To Den Of Thieves 2
The New Sequel Confirms Den Of Thieves As A New Franchise
Now that Den of Thieves has its sequel, it is officially a new franchise, and with Den of Thieves 3 confirmed, it seems like the series isn’t going to be going anywhere. That level of development is a far cry from what has happened with Heat, as, cinematically, the series has remained stagnant since the release of the first film 30 years ago. While the first movie is very self-contained, telling a complete story, a continuation has been talked about since Heat‘s original release.
The Den Of Thieves Franchise Is Expanding Faster Than Heat
Den Of Thieves Is Growing Much Quicker Than Heat Has
Heat 2 has been in development for quite a while, but so far, nothing concrete has been announced in regard to the sequel. Mann has said that he is definitely working on it, and it will likely eventually come to fruition, as Hollywood has been trending heavily towards sequels and reboots in recent years, but it is still years away, even after so many years since the first Heat. The new film is going to act as a prequel as well as a sequel, telling the story of Heat‘s main cast before and after the movie.
Heat 2 was already made, but it was as a novel, not a feature film, written by Michael Mann and Meg Gardiner. The film will eventually adapt the story from the novel.
When compared to Den of Thieves, the difference between these two series is very stark, as, while Heat 2 is still in its early stages, Den of Thieves 2 is already out, 7 years after the first, and a third film is already on the way. Den of Thieves 2 director Christian Gudegast has even said that there are plans for a fourth film, though that will likely be dependent on the third installment’s success. Heat still has an excellent legacy as an incredible film, but Den of Thieves 2: Pantera has proven that it is stronger as a franchise.
