‘Equalizer 3’ delivers a satisfying and action-packed experience, showcasing the impressive skills of its protagonist. With its gripping storyline and intense fight sequences, this film leaves audiences on the edge of their seats. Meanwhile, ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ break new ground, setting unprecedented records in their respective genres. These films captivate viewers with their unique storytelling and leave a lasting impact.
‘Equalizer 3’ dominates the box office, while ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ set new benchmarks.
Studios estimated Sunday that the third “Equalizer” film, starring Denzel Washington, made $34.5 million at the US box office. Sony forecasts the figure to reach $42 million by the end of the holiday on Monday.
Hollywood’s summer film season ends on Labor Day, and thanks in large part to “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” both of which are still breaking box office records seven weeks after their initial releases, the industry will break $4 billion in ticket sales for the first time since the epidemic. Over the weekend, “Barbie,” directed by Greta Gerwig, earned over $1.36 billion worldwide, surpassing “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” and “Oppenheimer,” directed by Christopher Nolan, earned over $850 million worldwide, moving up to the No. 3 spot of the year and Nolan’s third highest grossing film.
Seven weeks into an actor strike for fair contracts, major studios, and theater chains were bracing for a significantly diminished fall season when “The Equalizer 3” was released.
Washington was unable to promote the film, which was directed by his regular partner Antoine Fuqua and brought his vigilante character Robert McCall to the Amalfi coast of Italy, due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. Even though it’s usually a bad sign when a prominent star isn’t involved in a film’s promotional tour, “Equalizer 3” might be one of the rare exceptions that could survive a launch without Washington’s support because it’s a well-known franchise.
“One of the biggest movie stars in the world took us out on a high note,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. As the article states, “Studios often coast to Labor Day, but Sony was smart to choose this weekend to open ‘The Equalizer 3.'”
Similar to the first two films in the series, “Equalizer 3” debuted in nearly 3,900 North American theaters, including IMAX and premium large format screens, and made over $190 million worldwide for Sony. The film’s $70 million budget was split between TSG and Eagle Pictures. Critics were mostly pleased with the picture (76% on Rotten Tomatoes), and audiences were even more enthusiastic, giving it an A on CinemaScore and a perfect score on PostTrak.
“The Equalizer franchise has an uncanny ability to maintain high quality,” Dergarabedian has commented.
It generated $26.1 million overseas, contributing to its initial $60.6 million domestic gross.
To round out its domestic total of $609.5 million, “Barbie” added $10.6 million over the weekend, putting it in second place. With an additional $7.3 million, “Blue Beetle,” Warner Bros.’s other major theatrical release, moved into third place. In just three weekends, the DC superhero flick has earned $56.6 million in North America. Fourth place belongs to Sony’s “Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story,” which is expected to earn $6.6 million through Sunday, down 62% from its first-place launch weekend, and $8.5 million including Monday.
With an estimated $5.5 million from 2,543 theaters ($7.4 million including Monday estimates), “Oppenheimer” debuted at number five on the domestic box office charts. The domestic total is now $310.3 million, for a total of $851 million worldwide.