Variety reports that Den of Thieves is off to a robust start at the box office, as it scored a $950,000 in ticket sales on Thursday, ahead of its wide release today. The film, whose cast includes Gerard Butler, 50 Cent, and O'Shea Jackson Jr. edged out the weekend's other notable debut 12 Strong, which grossed $900,000 during advanced Thursday night screenings.
Den of Thieves depicts the intersecting lives of of an elite unit working for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and a successful bank robbery crew who are devising a lucrative heist on the Federal Reserve Bank. The film is based off an original screenplay by writer/director Christian Gudegast, which has received particularly abysmal reviews, is projected to gross around $9 million in its first weekend of release.
However, people are taking to Twitter to reveal that they are excited to see the film:
12 Strong, which sees Thor's Chris Hemsworth going to war after following the aftermath of 9/11, is seen as the weekend's top contender to overthrow Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle's continued box office domination. The film may end up in the $14-$17 million range, while Jumanji is expected to rake in an estimated $15-$20 million within the same frame. This will put the Dwayne Johnson/Kevin Hart blockbuster's domestic gross at $320 million since debuting in December 2017.
12 Strong is based on Doug Stanton's bestselling novel Horse Soldiers, which depicts the CIA parliamentary operations officers and U.S. Special Forces enlisted in Afghanistan to combat the reign of terror caused by the Taliban. The film also stars Michael Shannon and Moonlight's Trevante Rhodes.