20 Recent Movie Sequels We Were ALL Wrong About

4. Den of Thieves: Pantera

When Den of Thieves: Pantera was released last year, it was the opinion of many that writer-director Christian Gudegast simply took too long to get the movie made, what with the original heist thriller releasing back in 2018.

That's a large gulf of time for a mid-budget thriller sequel, and so it was easy to appreciate why many expected the sequel to be striking while the iron was ice cold.

But while Den of Thieves: Pantera wasn't a box office hit, it was a surprisingly sturdy belated sequel which milked the chemistry between Gerard Butler and O'Shea Jackson Jr. for every drop it was worth.

While hardly matching the original's kinetic, Heat-inspired energy levels, it still served up a thrilling and at times unexpectedly hilarious ride, topped off with a few amusingly bonkers plot twists.

Even though it underperformed at the box office, Lionsgate is reportedly still pushing forward with a threequel.