Denzel Washington’s ‘The Equalizer’ debuts with $35 million
By Jake Coyle
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK _ Flexing a rare kind of star power, Denzel Washington led the thriller “The Equalizer” to a $35 million debut, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The Columbia Pictures release dominated the weekend box office, coming out ahead of some forecasts for the film. In it, Washington plays a former commando lured into a battle with the Russian mafia.
The strong opening marks the third-best debut in Washington’s career, trailing only “Safe House” and “American Gangster.”
Last weekend’s top-performer, the young adult novel adaptation “The Maze Runner” slid to second with $17.5 million in its second week.
The stop-motion animated release “The Boxtrolls” opened in third with $17.3 million. It’s the best opening yet for the Oregon-based animation studio, whose previous films are “Coraline” and “ParaNorman.”
Alwin Marshall-Squire is the Editor-in-Chief of S-Q Publications Inc., overseeing editorial strategy for GTA Weekly, GTA Today, and Vision Newspaper. He leads the publications’ mission to deliver bold, original journalism focused on the people and communities of the Greater Toronto Area, Canada, and the global Caribbean diaspora.
Also writes for GTA Weekly and GTA Today.
