Summary

• The Equalizer 3 had a strong opening weekend, matching the success of the previous two movies in the franchise, setting a new record for the highest opening.
• The movie performed exceptionally well during Labor Day weekend, becoming the second highest grossing film for the holiday, only behind Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
• Positive reviews and high audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes have contributed to the film's success, making it the best-received installment in the franchise so far.

The Equalizer 3 had a successful opening weekend at the box office that helped give Denzel Washington's action movie franchise another hit. The Equalizer movies have always had a strong track record at the box office, as the first two movies finished with nearly identical worldwide totals. That provided an expectation that The Equalizer 3 would be a similarly strong success story for Denzel Washington, director Antoine Fuqua, and Sony. Projections for The Equalizer 3's box office opening weekend were quite promising in that regard, and the good news is that the final tally confirmed audiences are still invested in the franchise.

All parties involved must be thrilled with The Equalizer 3's opening weekend at the box office. Domestically the movie made $34.6 million over the traditional three-day weekend. Since it opened over Labor Day weekend, the extended four-day weekend total for The Equalizer 3 rose to $42.8 million. The great performance domestically was matched with a $26 million haul from all international territories, which helped propel the threequel's worldwide total to $68.9M. While that figure might pale in comparison to some of the bigger movies of 2023, it is a good opening for The Equalizer 3 worldwide that sets the movie up for more success.

8 Equalizer 3 Opened On Par With The Other Equalizer Movies

The performance of The Equalizer 3's box office means that it has opened on par with the previous two franchise installments. By counting the extended holiday weekend as its opening weekend, The Equalizer 3 technically set a new franchise record for the highest opening. However, comparing the movies across the traditional three-day weekend is more useful. The original The Equalizer made $34.1M in its opening weekend, while The Equalizer 2 made $36M four years later. The trilogy capper comfortably fits in the middle of the Equalizer movies ranking based on box office performance.

7 Equalizer 3 Had The 2nd Best Labor Day Opening Weekend Ever

One of the best examples of how good The Equalizer 3's box office opening is how it compares to other movies that opened during Labor Day weekend. The $42.8 million haul domestically from Friday to Monday is the second-best performance ever for the holiday weekend. The only Labor Day movie that The Equalizer 3 failed to sur was 2021's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero movie that broke records with its massive $94M opening. Denzel Washington's action movie sequel firmly holds second place in the record books, as third place belongs to 2007's Halloween after a $30M opening.

6 Equalizer 3’s Good Reviews Helped Its Box Office

There is little doubt that The Equalizer 3's reviews helped contribute to its box office success. The movie earned franchise-best reviews and critics score on Rotten Tomatoes as a result. The Equalizer 3 has a 74% fresh rating on the review aggregator site. This marks a substantial increase from The Equalizer 2, which dipped the franchise into rotten territory with a 52% critics score. That came after the original The Equalizer received a 61% rating after mixed-to-positive reviews. Considering The Equalizer 3 was previously projected to have a franchise-worst opening weekend (via Box Office Pro), the positive reviews seemingly helped get audiences excited.

5 Audiences Love Equalizer 3 More Than The Last Two Movies

Another reason behind The Equalizer 3's success financially can be found in how much audiences are enjoying the movie. The Equalizer 3's audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is an incredibly high 94%, which is easily the best for the franchise. The original movie has a 77% audience score, but viewers were less enthused with The Equalizer 2 - as represented by its 61% rating. The very favorable response to The Equalizer 3 so far is a direct reflection of its box office. The more that viewers love the movie, the stronger word of mouth and better box office legs it will have to help offset Denzel Washington's Equalizer salary.

4 Equalizer 3 Avoided 2023’s Bad Sequel Box Office Trend

The Equalizer 3 also managed to avoid a horrible box office trend for sequels in 2023. The box office has been more volatile than expected for some high-profile sequels, as the likes of Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Fast X, and others struggled to varying degrees. The great start for Denzel Washington's movie proves that this is a franchise audiences are still invested in and that it has not lost its core viewership. That was not a guarantee, especially since many of these underwhelming sequels are action movies starring older leads.

3 Equalizer 3 Is On Track To Be The Franchise’s Highest-Grossing Movie

The Equalizer 3 is also currently on track to be the franchise's highest-grossing movie after its strong opening. This can be determined by looking at where the movies stand after the same amount of time has ed. The Equalizer 3 made $42.8 million in its first four days of release thanks to Labor Day. This is higher than where The Equalizer 2 stood after four days at $39.7M and how much The Equalizer made in the same time period with $37.1M. The movie is already nearly halfway to crossing $100M domestically, so it could sur its predecessor's $102M performance to be the highest-grossing entry.

2 Equalizer 3 Has Already Nearly Made Back Its Budget

Another reason The Equalizer 3 is already successful is that it has nearly recouped what it cost to make. The Equalizer 3's budget is reportedly $70 million, which is the highest of the franchise. Increasing budgets can get movies in trouble, especially in 2023, but Denzel Washington's movie has already made most of that money back after its $68 million worldwide opening. This makes it quite likely that The Equalizer 3 will become profitable as long as audiences remain interested. It should break even with relative ease by making $140M worldwide before turning a profit not too long afterward. That's a good sign for The Equalizer 4 possibly happening.

1 Equalizer 3’s Opening Weekend Is Among The Biggest Of Denzel Washington’s Career

The Equalizer 3 is also a success specifically compared to Denzel Washington's career, as its opening weekend ranks incredibly high among his other movies. If the four-day weekend total is counted, The Equalizer 3 is Denzel Washington's second-biggest opening ever technically. American Gangster currently holds the record with its $43.5M opening in 2007. Using the traditional three-day weekend instead, the movie still stacks up incredibly well. The only other Denzel Washington movies The Equalizer 3 falls behind are Safe House ($40M), The Equalizer 2, and The Magnificent Seven ($34.7M). It does top The Book of Eli ($32.7M) to take a spot in his top five box office openings.