Entertainment
Denzel Washington’s ‘The Equalizer’ Tops ‘The Boxtrolls’ at Box Office
Saba Hamedy, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
LOS ANGELES (The L.A. Times)—Denzel Washington brought his might to the box office yet again with his latest action film, “The Equalizer.”
The R-rated movie, based on the gritty 1985-89 CBS series starring Edward Woodward, topped all other films with an estimated weekend gross of $35 million in the U.S. and Canada.
Produced by Sony Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures, the film cost about $55 million to make. The studios had predicted a modest $25 million to $30 million opening.
“From the first minute we saw footage of this film, we knew we had something that was special,” said Rory Bruer, distribution president for Sony Pictures. “It’s been a really great weekend.”
The Washington box-office results shouldn’t come as a surprise: Washington’s last 10 wide releases, including “Flight” (2013) and “Deja Vu” (2006), have each opened to more than $20 million.
“The Equalizer” is the latest collaboration between Washington and director Antoine Fuqua, who worked together on the hit “Training Day.” That 2001 film, which won Washington an Oscar, topped the box office and grossed $22.5 million in its opening weekend. It went on to take in a total of $76.3 million in the U.S. and Canada and more than $100 million internationally.
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