Denzel Washington is back as professional killer Robert McCall in “The Equalizer 3,” which has made $3.8 million in previews at the box office.
The R-rated, action thriller is expected to make between $28 million and $30 million in its opening weekend. With the Labor Day holiday on Monday, it could grow from $33 million to $40 million in the four-day frame. That will be enough to claim the No. 1 spot at the box office this weekend, beating Sony’s “Gran Turismo,” which topped the charts last week (or finished in second place to Warner Bros.’ “Barbie,” depending on how you tally advance screenings).
“The Equalizer 3” will have the smallest three-day opening of the franchise, following the $34 million debut for the original “Equalizer” in 2014 and its 2018 sequel’s $36 million launch. Both of those movies grossed over $100 million at the domestic box office and nearly $200 million globally.
Antoine Fuqua, who directed the first two movies and “Training Day” with Washington, returned to helm the third and final “Equalizer” installment. This time, Washington’s McCall finds himself on the Italian coast in a town under the control of the mafia. To escape, he must pull out his gun-toting, badass mercenary skills for one last job. The “Equalizer 3” cast includes Dakota Fanning (marking a nearly 20-year “Man on Fire” reunion for her and Washington), Bill Pullman, Ashton Sanders, Orson Bean, Melissa Leo, Jonathan Scarfe and more.
Elsewhere at the box office, Sony’s racing drama “Gran Turismo,” in its second weekend, is looking to add $7 million to $9 million, and Warner Bros.’ “Barbie” ($1.34 billion) is inching closer to surpassing “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($1.35 billion) as the year’s highest-grossing worldwide release.