Chloé Moreau
Equalizer 3 is now behind Shang-Chi as the highest-grossing Labor Day box office of all time.
Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua reunited for a third Equalizer film, which made its highly anticipated debut in theaters last weekend. The Labor Day weekend has not always been the hottest period of summer in terms of box office, but Equalizer 3 clearly found resonance with fans, breaking the mold and offering a stunning opening in cinemas. In fact, Equalizer 3 is in the middle of the second largest opening at the box office of all time for Labor Day.
In 2021, Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings set a Labor Day weekend record that will likely remain in place for a long time. The Marvel film grossed $94.6 million over the four-day holiday. Equalizer 3 earned $34.5 million in its first three days and is currently expected to gross a total of $42 million over the four-day weekend. That’s enough for the second biggest opening ever seen for this holiday weekend, which is a big win for Sony.
The highest-rated Equalizer film of all time
Not only is Equalizer 3 winning at the box office, but it has also been a success with critics and fans. Fuqua and Washington’s latest collaboration has the best reviews of the Equalizer franchise.
Equalizer 3 currently holds a “Fresh” rating of 76% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The first two Equalizer films have scores of 61% and 52% respectively. The third film also has a higher audience score than its two predecessors.
Director Antoine Fuqua explained that he sees Equalizer 3 as a kind of spiritual successor to Tony Scott’s film.
“We never collectively talked about it, but I thought about it that way,” Fuqua said. “You know, when Dakota said she was interested, I thought, ‘Oh yeah ! This is Man on Fire but years later – and that’s what he does,’ you know? But I never told them that because they’re just in the characters.”
