Sony’s latest release, “The Equalizer 3”, starring the popular Denzel Washington, catapulted the North American box office to a significant high during the extended holiday weekend, reaching a pinnacle in the post-pandemic era, according to Exhibitor Relations.
The finale in the trilogy earned a projected $34.5 million across three days and is expected to accumulate $42 million, including Labor Day earnings in the US and Canada. Washington revisits his role as a retired Marine and DEA agent, battling a gang in southern Italy this time around. The movie also features Dakota Fanning in a prominent role.
Meanwhile, the vibrant Barbie film retained its second position with a weekend earning of about $10.6 million, escalating to an estimated $13.3 million over four days. Remarkably, this Warner Bros production has surpassed $600 million in domestic earnings, a milestone achieved by only 13 other movies before.
DC’s “Blue Beetle” secured the third spot again with a box office collection of $7.3 million over the weekend. Sony’s “Gran Turismo” experienced a dip, settling at fourth with approximate earnings of $6.6 million across three days. In a surprising performance, Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” stayed in the top five during its seventh weekend, garnering between $5.5 million and $7.5 million.
The weekend proved prosperous for the domestic box office, surpassing $4 billion, an encouraging progression from the previous summer’s $3.4 billion, highlighting a resurgence in the industry, noted analyst David A. Gross. The weekend’s top ten also included new entrants like “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”, “Bottoms”, “Meg 2: The Trench”, “Strays”, and “Talk to Me”, further adding to the box office triumph.
