‘Equalizer 2’ tips ‘Mamma Mia!’
Star power helps sequels strike chord with target audiences
In the battle of two very different sequels at the box office this weekend, Denzel Washington’s action pic “The Equalizer 2” has narrowly won out over the ABBA jukebox musical “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.”
Studios on Sunday estimate that the R-rated Denzel Washington movie grossed $35.8 million from North American theaters over the weekend. It’s Washington’s first sequel and the biggest opening of director Antoine Fuqua’s career. The first “Equalizer,” from 2014, opened similarly, earning over $190 million worldwide.
Second place went to Universal Pictures’ “Mamma Mia 2,” which took in $34.4 million, driven by an audience that was 83 percent female and 64 percent over the age of 25. The film brought back much of the original cast, like Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried and Pierce Brosnan, and added Cher, Andy Garcia and Lily James to the mix. Critics overall gave the sequel better marks than the first, which still grossed over $600 million worldwide 10 years ago.
It’s also a rare showdown of two star-driven films that succeeded in targeting two very different audiences.
“It’s amazing how well-matched these contenders are,” said comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “Both studios really did a great job of marketing each of these movies to their target audience. It’s classic counter-programming.”
Sequels powered the top six spots at the domestic box office this weekend and eight out of the top 10 overall. “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” came in third with $23.2 million in its second weekend, “Ant-Man and the Wasp” took fourth place with $16.1 million in its third weekend, “Incredibles 2” landed in fifth with $11.5 million, and “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” came in sixth with $11 million.
The weekend’s other big new opener, “Unfriended: Dark Web,” also a sequel, scared up $3.5 million for a ninth-place start. The only two originals in the top 10 were “Skyscraper” and “Sorry to Bother You.”
Some original films and documentaries are also making a own modest impact on the charts, including “Blindspotting,” a buddy comedy with some serious themes about race and class starring Tony-winner Daveed Diggs that opened in 14 theaters and made an estimated $332,500.
“Movies like ‘Sorry to Bother You’ and ‘Blindspotting’ are showing that in the summer people don’t live by blockbusters alone,” Dergarabedian said.