I’ve been saying this from pretty much the start of the 2025 movie schedule, but Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is legitimately one of the most fun cinematic experiences of the year. While it had an okay response from critics and matched its predecessor in terms of box office receipts, it seems like a lot of people didn’t catch it on the big screen. With the movie now streaming on Netflix, it seems like folks are finally coming around.
And I get it. I’ll admit that I slept on the first Den of Thieves movie for way too long before finding out that “Big Nick” O’Brien is one of Gerard Butler’s best characters, and It warms my heart to see that others aren’t waiting as long as I did to see the light. In fact, people started going wild on social media pretty much as soon as it became available with a Netflix subscription.
Pretty much as soon as Den of Thieves 2: Pantera dropped on Netflix, users on X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter) jumped on and started sharing gifs from the movie, like this one of O’Shea Jackson Jr.’s Donnie Wilson counting a stack of cash:
Den Of Thieves 2 was really good. 🔥#Netflix #DenOfThieves2 pic.twitter.com/sRshVdCqRGMarch 21, 2025
As the movie started working its way up the Netflix Top 10 in the days after its streaming debut, another X user said Den of Thieves 2 was a “surprisingly really good movie,” before calling it a “crime and heist thriller” as opposed to a straight-up action movie:
#denofthieves2 is a surprisingly really good movie. It’s not an action movie but a crime and heist thriller. The cinematography and scenery is fantastic with a smart plot and authenticity. pic.twitter.com/tq8gQoj0czMarch 30, 2025
One of the funniest responses I found to the movie’s success after joining other new and recent movies streaming on Netflix was pretty much the same as the one above but in simpler and more explicit terms.
Den of Thieves 2 was good as fuck. Idk why I be listening to people.March 27, 2025
And you know, in addition to having a hilarious X handle, the person above brings up a great point when it comes to movies: check it out for yourself because you may be missing out on one hell of a good time. Plus, if you just avoided the movie after hearing what a friend or random critic said online, you’d miss out on the outrageous Big Nick party scene.
Being someone who loves when two of their favorite franchises are merged together for an epic social media meme, I just have to point out this one post that uses Larry David’s signature Curb Your Enthusiasm line to describe the movie:
Hey soooo I saw Den of Thieves Pantera a few days ago and it was actually pretty good pic.twitter.com/2SSb9FBQ1UMarch 28, 2025
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera pulling off a heist and taking over the Netflix Top 10 has me hopeful that so many people will start watching it that Lionsgate won’t make us wait another seven years for the next stage in Big Nick’s and Donnie’s evolving story.
Make sure to keep checking back in with CinemaBlend for all the latest information on what’s been said about Den of Thieves 3, as I will constantly be scouting the next heist. I won’t be smoking cigs like Gerard Butler’s embattled detective, but I will be anxiously waiting for any and all news.
