Current:Home > News'The Equalizer 3' surprises with $34.5M and No. 1, while 'Barbie' clinches new record -Infinite Edge Learning
'The Equalizer 3' surprises with $34.5M and No. 1, while 'Barbie' clinches new record
View
Date:2025-04-17 01:19:00
The third installment in the Denzel Washington-led "Equalizer" franchise topped the domestic box office this weekend with $34.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. By the end of the Monday holiday, that total is expected to rise to $42 million.
Labor Day signals the end of Hollywood's summer movie season, which will surpass $4 billion in ticket sales for the first time since the pandemic, thanks in no small part to "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer," which are still netting records even after seven weeks in theaters.
This weekend, Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" officially became the biggest movie of 2023 with more than $1.36 billion globally, surpassing "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," while Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" sailed past $850 million globally to become the No. 3 movie of the year and Nolan's third-highest grossing.
"The Equalizer 3" arrived at a fraught time for Hollywood, with actors seven weeks into a strike for fair contracts and movie theaters bracing for a somewhat depleted fall season as a result.
The ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike meant Washington was unable to stump for the movie, which was directed by his frequent collaborator Antoine Fuqua and brings his vigilante character Robert McCall to Italy's Amalfi coast. While the lack of a major star on a promotional tour would normally be considered a liability for a film's box office potential, "Equalizer 3" may be the rare exception that could withstand a rollout without Washington's help simply because it's a recognizable franchise.
"One of the biggest movie stars in the world took us out on a high note," says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. "Studios often coast to Labor Day, but Sony was smart to choose this weekend to open 'The Equalizer 3.' "
Spoilers!'Equalizer 3' director explains Denzel Washington's final Robert McCall ending
The R-rated film opened in 3,900-plus locations in North America, including on IMAX and premium large format screens, where it performed in line with the previous two films, which both went on to make more than $190 million globally.
The film received generally positive reviews from critics (76% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and overwhelmingly positive reviews from audiences, who gave it an A on CinemaScore and a five-star PostTrak rating.
"It's uncanny the consistency of the 'Equalizer' franchise," Dergarabedian says.
Overseas, it made $26.1 million, contributing to a $60.6 million global debut.
In second place, "Barbie" added $10.6 million for the weekend in the U.S. and Canada, pushing its domestic total to $609.5 million. DC's "Blue Beetle" added $7.3 million to take third. The superhero film has grossed $56.6 million in three weekends in North America. Fourth place went to "Gran Turismo," which is projecting $6.6 million through Sunday, down 62% from opening weekend, and $8.5 million including Monday.
"Oppenheimer" landed in fifth with an estimated $5.5 million ($7.4 million including estimates for Monday) from 2,543 theaters. This brings its domestic total to $310.3 million and its global take to $851 million.
The movie opened in China on Wednesday, playing on 35,000 screens, where it is estimated to have made $30.3 million in its first five days. A significant portion of that ($9.3 million through Sunday) came from 736 IMAX screens.
IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond says in a statement that "Oppenheimer" showed that "it's nowhere near finished dazzling audiences worldwide."
‘The Equalizer 3’:All your burning questions about the Denzel Washington movie answered
The 18-week summer movie season hitting $4 billion is significant for an industry still recovering from the pandemic and facing uncertainty in the fall if the actors and writers strikes continue. Before the pandemic, $4 billion summers had become the standard for the industry and generally accounted for at least 40% of the total box office for the year. Last summer netted out with $3.4 billion.
And this summer had its share of hits, flops and surprises, with "Barbenheimer" accounting for more than $900 million of the $4 billion haul.
"The summer box office is vitally important and a strong indicator of the health of the industry," Dergarabedian says. "Many were really skeptical that we could get to $4 billion. We're hitting it literally in the final days of the summer. It's a reminder that any hit or miss makes a profound impact on the bottom line."
Final figures are expected Tuesday.
veryGood! (929)
Related
- Bodycam footage shows high
- North Carolina public school students performing better on standardized tests, report says
- Google reaches tentative settlement with 36 states and DC over alleged app store monopoly
- Lab data suggests new COVID booster will protect against worrisome variant
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- How Pippa Middleton and James Matthews Built Their Impressive Billion-Dollar Empire
- Ecological impact of tennis balls is out of bounds, environmentalists say
- New Pennsylvania Legislation Aims to Classify ‘Produced Water’ From Fracking as Hazardous Waste
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- Hurricane Lee's projected path and timeline: Meteorologists forecast when and where the storm will hit
Ranking
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- White supremacist signs posted outside Black-owned businesses on Martha's Vineyard
- Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton blasts 400th career home run
- A Trump backer has a narrow lead in Utah’s congressional primary, buoyed by strong rural support
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- Prosecutors ask a judge to revoke bond of mother of Virginia boy who shot his first-grade teacher
- Georgia father arrested in 7-year-old son's death after leaving boy in car with brother
- Miley Cyrus Reveals the Day She Knew Liam Hemsworth Marriage “Was No Longer Going to Work
Recommendation
$73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
Extreme heat makes air quality worse–that's bad for health
Massachusetts pizza place sells out after Dave Portnoy calls it the worst in the nation
Chvrches' Lauren Mayberry goes solo — and we got exclusive backstage access
Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
NFL power rankings: Which teams are looking good entering Week 1?
Chris Jones' holdout from Chiefs among NFL standoffs that could get ugly in Week 1
Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas say they decided to amicably end our marriage