If you put a gun in Denzel Washington’s hand, then the evidence is stacked sky-high that you’ll have a guaranteed number one box office hit on your hands, with The Equalizer 3 unsurprisingly living up to the lofty track record of commercial success its leading man has enjoyed for decades.
If that wasn’t enough, the two-time Academy Award winner’s third and allegedly final outing as Robert McCall also cemented Antoine Fuqua’s trilogy as the single most consistent multi-film series in history when it comes to opening weekends.
The first, second, and third installments debuted to $34.1 million, $36 million, and $34.5 million respectively, with a fluctuation of only 2.3 percent across the trio elevating it above the Ocean’s IP and into top spot. Even on a global scale, the difference between the highest-grossing and lowest-earning Equalizer is only $24 million, as if you needed any more proof that Denzel is a draw.
Well, you’re getting it anyway, with FlixPatrol revealing The Equalizer 3 to have reached the summit and become the most-watched movie in the United States on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, and Vudu all at once. There’s barely a star in Hollywood who can boast that kind of name value, made all the more special by McCall being the only role in his long and illustrious career that Washington has ever played more than once.
Third time around, the vigilante does what he does best in Italy after his recovery period from a recent job places him right in the crosshairs of a nefarious crime syndicate, even if you already know the mafia stands no change against the brutal retribution of an elite operative responsible for a trilogy that netted upwards of $550 million combined.
