Equalizer 2 squeaks past Mamma Mia 2 and takes top spot
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 joint grossed $35.8 million from North American theatres over the weekend. It’s Washington’s first ever sequel and the biggest opening of director Antoine Fuqua’s career.
The first Equalizer, from 2014, opened similarly and went on to earn over US$190 million (1.2 billion baht) worldwide.
Second place went to Universal Pictures’ Mamma Mia 2, which took in $34.4 million, a sum that was driven by an audience that was 83% female and 64% 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 went on to gross over $600 million worldwide 10 years ago.
It’s also a rare showdown of two stardriven films that succeeded in targeting two very different audiences.
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 the dinosaur thriller
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom came in sixth with $11 million.
The weekend’s other big new opener,
Unfriended: Dark Web, the in-name-only sequel to the 2014 film Unfriended, 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.
And yet there are still original films and documentaries making their own modest impact on the charts, including Blind-spotting, a buddy comedy with some serious themes about race and class starring Tony-winner Daveed Diggs that opened in 14 theatres and made an estimated $332,500.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday to Sunday at US and Canadian theatres, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday to Sunday are also included.
1. The Equalizer 2, $35.8 million ($3.3 million international). 2. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, $34.4 million ($42.4 million international). 3. Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, $23.2 million ($37.7 million international). 4. Ant-Man And The Wasp, $16.1 million ($21.6 million international). 5. Incredibles 2, $11.5 million ($36.5 million international). 6. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, $11 million ($17.3 million international). 7. Skyscraper, $11 million ($27.3 million international). 8. The First Purge, $5 million ($8.9 million international). 9. Unfriended: Dark Web, $3.5 million. 10. Sorry To Bother You, $2.8 million