Gerard Butler's Den of Thieves 2 steals first place at US box office

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera has landed in first place at the US box office with sales of $6 million (£4.9 million) on its theatrical debut.

The heist flick stars Gerard Butler and O'Shea Jackson Jr, who reprise their roles in the sequel to the 2018 film. It is expected to earn $15 million its opening weekend, Deadline reports.

Mufasa: The Lion King, which features the voices of Aaron Pierre and Tiffany Boone fell down a notch to second on its fourth weekend in cinemas.

The Disney film has already become one of the top 15 highest-grossing musicals of all time at the US domestic box office, beating 2018's Mary Poppins Returns, according to Collider.

In third place was Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which also moved down a spot from last week.

The latest in the Sonic franchise has surpassed its speedy predecessors to become the highest-grossing Sonic movie at the US box office.

The Robbie Williams biopic Better Man had predictably bombed in North America where it has failed to crack the top 10.

Den of Thieves 2 follows the tale of an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff's Dept. who clash with the state's most successful bank robbery gang, as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank.