We consider the evolution and related instabilities of thin metal films liquefied by laser pulses. The films are patterned by large-scale perturbations and we discuss how these perturbations influence the dynamics. In the experiments, we find that the considered thin films dewet, leading to the formation of primary and secondary drops, with the locations of the primary ones coinciding with the original perturbations. Based on the results of the fully nonlinear time-dependent simulations, we discuss the details of the evolution leading to these patterns. Furthermore, in both experiments and simulations, we discuss the influence of the shape of the initial perturbations on the properties of the final patterns.