In an age where IP is king and its the brand above all else that draws audiences into theaters, stars who can open movies based on nothing but the strength of their name alone are getting fewer and further between. Of course, Denzel Washington is one of the remaining few, and he’s at it again with The Equalizer 3 on course for a huge opening weekend at the box office.
The latest estimates have the R-rated threequel on course for a Labor Day debut of over $42 million, which would be the second-highest ever for the holiday frame behind only the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Over the three-day Friday to Sunday, it could soar above $36 million, a staggering achievement when you consider old guys with guns haven’t exactly been tearing it up at the multiplex recently.
What makes Denzel’s bulletproof drawing power even more astonishing is that even though in the last two decades he’s starred in seven films (soon to be eight) that debuted at the top of the domestic charts, as well as a further 11 that haven’t opened any lower than third, never mind the fact only six of them failed to earn at least double their production budgets back from theaters, he’s never starred in anything that earned more than $268 million globally, with American Gangster still his top-earner ever.
And yet, he’s consistently proven himself to be one of the most reliable draws in the entire industry, especially when you place a gun in his hand and bad guys in his way. If you put Denzel in a movie, then people are going to show up, and there’s no better indicator of star power than that.