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Box Office 2025: Lionsgate tops 2 US Opening weekends in January, with Flight Risk and Den Of Thieves 2
Lionsgate kicks off 2025 with a strong start, as Flight Risk tops the US box office and Den of Thieves 2 continues to perform solidly despite a decline in audience retention.
Lionsgate has kicked off 2025 on a positive note with strong domestic box office performance, thanks to its two R-rated action thrillers — Flight Risk and Den of Thieves 2. Despite mixed word of mouth, both offerings managed to clinch top spots at the U.S. BO during their respective debut weekends.
Flight Risk, starring Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Dockery, and Topher Grace, debuted with USD 12 million on its opening weekend, surpassing many previous Lionsgate releases including Expend4bles (USD 8 million) and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (USD 8.9 million). Directed by Mel Gibson, the film follows a U.S. Marshal and a government witness being transported across the Alaskan wilderness, where tensions arise as the identities and motives of the passengers come into question. Despite receiving negative reviews from critics, the film’s action-packed premise and star power seem to have wowed audiences, securing the number one spot for the film at the U.S. box office.
However, the success of Flight Risk came amid a difficult run for Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, the sequel to the 2018 hit Den of Thieves. Released just weeks earlier on January 10, the flick grossed USD 3 million in its third weekend, marking a 56.1% drop from the previous weekend. The sequel’s performance has been subpar compared to its predecessor, which earned USD 4.6 million in its third weekend with a smaller drop of 47.3%.
Den of Thieves 2 has now grossed a total of USD 31.9 million in the U.S. and is expected to finish with around USD 40 million in domestic ticket sales. The movie stars Gerard Butler, Pablo Schreiber, and O’Shea Jackson Jr., continuing the story of a daring group of heist criminals as they attempt another high-stakes robbery. The infamous 2003 Antwerp diamond heist reportedly inspires the plot and follows an LASD sheriff who pursues a suspect to Europe, where the two men eventually team up for the earlier mentioned heist.
Despite Den of Thieves struggling with audience retention, Lionsgate’s two back-to-back hits signal a strong start to the year for the studio. With Flight Risk topping the box office and both films expected to maintain solid runs, the stage is set for future Lionsgate releases, even with varying levels of critical reception.
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