Denzel Washington’s third installment in the “Equalizer” franchise topped the domestic box office this weekend with $34.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. Sony expects the total to rise to $42 million by the end of the holiday Monday.
Labor Day marks the end of Hollywood’s summer movie season, which grossed more than $4 billion for the first time since the pandemic, thanks in large part to “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” even after seven weeks in theaters. After all, they still set records. theater. This weekend, Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” officially became the biggest movie of 2023 with more than $1.36 billion worldwide, surpassing “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” while Christopher Nolan Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” topped $850 million, making it the third-biggest film at the global box office. The third highest-grossing Nolan film of the year.
The release of “Equalizer 3” comes at a fraught time in Hollywood, with actors bracing for a somewhat depleted fall season as actors strike for fair contracts with major entertainment companies and movie theaters have been going on for seven weeks.
The ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike means Washington cannot defend the film, directed by his frequent collaborator Antoine Fuqua, and cast his vigilante character, Robert McCall, in the film. McCall to the Amalfi Coast in Italy. While a lack of big stars on promotional tours is often cited as a factor in a movie’s box office potential, The Equalizer 3 may be a rare exception that can survive its launch without Washington’s help simply because it is a recognized series.
“One of the most famous movie stars in the world took us by surprise,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “Studios often take a Labor Day holiday, but Sony wisely chose to “The Equalizer 3″ comes out this weekend.”
Sony releases R-rated The Equalizer 3 at more than 3,900 locations in North America, including IMAX and premium large screens, to coincide with the release of the first two films, which each grossed more than $190 million worldwide Dollar. The film, co-financed by TSG and Eagle Pictures, cost $70 million to produce. The film received generally positive reviews from critics (76% on Rotten Tomatoes) and overwhelmingly positive reviews from audiences, who gave it an A on CinemaScore and five stars on PostTrak.
“The stability of the EQ series is unbelievable,” says Dergarabedian.
It grossed $26.1 million overseas and opened to $60.6 million worldwide.
No. 2 “Barbie” added $10.6 million to the weekend in the U.S. and Canada, bringing its domestic total to $609.5 million. Warner Bros. ‘ Another major theatrical release, The Blue Beetle was third, adding $7.3 million. The DC superhero movie took in $56.6 million over three weekends in North America. In fourth place is Sony’s “Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story,” projected to make $6.6 million through Sunday, down 62 percent from No. 1’s opening weekend and $8.5 million on Monday.
Opening in 2,543 theaters, “Oppenheimer” is projected to take in $5.5 million (including Monday’s estimate of $7.4 million), and is No. 5 on the domestic chart. That brings its domestic total to $310.3 million and its worldwide total to $851 million.
The Universal film opened in China on Wednesday to 35,000 screens and is expected to take in $30.3 million in its five-day opening. A large chunk of that ($9.3 million as of Sunday) came from 736 IMAX screens.
IMAX Chief Executive Rich Gelfond said in a statement that “Oppenheimer”‘s premiere in China showed that “it is far from dazzling audiences around the world.” Its success is also “a strong demonstration of our growing market share around the world,” Gelfond added.
The 18-week summer movie season, which grossed $4 billion at the box office, is significant for an industry still recovering from the pandemic and facing uncertainty in the fall if actors and writers go on strike. Before the outbreak, summer box office box office of $4 billion was the industry standard, generally accounting for at least 40% of the year’s total box office. Netted $3.4 billion last summer.
There were hits, flops and surprises this summer, with “Pappenheimer” taking in more than $900 million of its $4 billion gross.
“Summer box office is critical and a strong indicator of the health of the industry,” Dergarabedian said. “A lot of people were skeptical that we could get to $4 billion. We did get there in the last days of the summer. It’s a reminder that any success or failure can have a profound impact on profits.”
Estimated Friday-Sunday ticket sales for U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic data is due on Tuesday.
1. “Equalizer 3,” $34.5 million.
2. “Barbie,” $10.6 million.
3. “Blue Beetle,” $7.3 million.
4. “Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story,” $6.6 million.
5. “Oppenheimer,” $5.5 million.
6. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” $4.8 million.
7. “Bottoms,” $3 million.
8. “The Meg 2: The Trench,” $2.9 million.
9. “The Vagabond,” $2.5 million.
10. “Talk to Me,” $1.8 million.
