Den of Thieves 2: Pantera was one of the first major blockbusters to be released in theaters this year, coming in as the sequel to the 2018 heist/thriller film Den of Thieves, starring Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. Den of Thieves 2 received middling critical reviews, but was pretty well-received by general audiences, which has led to a third film being announced, with director Christian Gudegast set to return once more alongside Den of Thieves‘s main characters, Gerard Butler’s Big Nick and O’Shea Jackson Jr.’s Donnie.

With Pantera‘s decent but not amazing box office return, the film’s streaming release has been H๏τly anticipated, as these days, streaming releases tend to be just as important as theatrical ones. The movie was released on Netflix very recently, and since its debut on the platform, Pantera has sH๏τ to the top of the charts, becoming the number one film on the platform. With its decent box office earnings, this new Netflix success is leading to a very important moment that will determine the franchise’s future.

Den Of Thieves 2 Is Becoming A Bigger Hit On Netflix Than It Was In Theaters

The Sequel Is Topping The Netflix Charts After Its Release

Den of Thieves 2 was a fairly moderate success during its theatrical release, earning a total of $57 million against a production budget of around $40 million. While this seems like a cut and dry success, albeit a fairly small one, the reported budget of most major Hollywood productions isn’t actually an accurate representation of how much they actually cost, as marketing and distribution usually aren’t factored in. As such, the movie may have been less of a success than it initially seemed, leaving the question of how much of a success Pantera actually was up in the air.

Now, its recent Netflix release has solidified the movie as a streaming hit, giving it the second life that it likely needed. Even though Den of Thieves 3 has already been announced, Pantera‘s mediocre box office return left questions as to the wide appeal of the franchise, and since the sequel ended up making less than the original, it seemed like it may be diminishing returns for the series. With its big Netflix success, it is clear that the franchise has appeal, even if the film’s box office wasn’t stellar.

Would Den Of Thieves 2 Have Been Better Off Debuting On Netflix?

The Question Always Arises When A Bomb Makes It Big On Streaming

As the movie has found much more success on Netflix than it achieved in theaters, the obvious ᴀssumption to make is that Pantera would’ve been better off as a streaming movie, skipping its theatrical run and going straight to the internet. However, while that might seem like a smart movie, losing out on the money they made from theaters, even if it wasn’t a huge amount, would’ve left them much worse for wear. A dedicated Netflix release would’ve gotten more eyes on the project when it initially came out, but now the studio gets the best of both worlds.

Theatrical releases do cost a significant amount of money, which accounts for a lot of the cost that isn’t usually included in the production budget, so a pure Netflix release would have definitely saved money there. However, without the $57 million from the box office, it’s hard to imagine that the movie would’ve made its money back, even with the bonuses that would have come from a Netflix release. With that strategy, Pantera also got the attention from its Netflix release, as well as the money that would have come from that deal as well.

Den Of Thieves 3’s Release & Success Will Prove The True Appeтιтe For The Franchise

The Next Film Is The Biggest Test For Den Of Thieves

Now that Den of Thieves 2 has found its biggest success on Netflix, the next entry in the franchise will have higher expectations. People are interested in seeing the story of Big Nick and Donnie unfold, and even if they weren’t willing to give the theatrical version a try, the huge success that the movie is seeing on the platform is a good sign for the popularity of the Den of Thieves series. People were willing to watch the movie in their homes, but it’s unclear whether general audiences liked it enough to go see the next one in theaters.

If people are unwilling to actually go out of their way to see the next Den of Thieves movie, then the franchise is likely going to end up ᴅᴇᴀᴅ in the water after the third installment. While the streaming success of Pantera is great, these movies still need to do well enough in theaters to be successes. If the series continues to trend downwards in terms of box office, and the third movie makes a similar amount to or less than Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, then no amount of Netflix views are going to keep the series afloat.