Denzel Washington dominates box office with ‘The Equalizer 2’ nabbing No. 1 spot

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Denzel Washington proved he’s still a winner, with his latest flick, The Equalizer 2 reigning supreme at the box office over the weekend despite the fact that Mama Mia: Here We Go Again opened the same weekend.

Both sequels boasted serious star power (Mama Mia starred Meryl Streep and Cher), with the  musical predicted to earn $5-$10 million more than the action thriller. According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Equalizer 2 pulled in $35.8 million, while the Mama Mia sequel raked in $34.4 million.

It wasn’t just black folks who lined up to see Denzel Washington kicking a** and taking names; the audience was quite diverse and was composed primarily of men over 25 years old.

“According to Sony, Caucasians made up 38 percent of ticket buyers for Equalizer 2, followed by African Americans (31 percent), Hispanics (22 percent) and Asians/other (9 percent). The share of black ticket buyers is particularly noteworthy; many times, African Americans make up no more than 15 percent of the audience, if that much, for a Hollywood event film,” noted THR.

“Conversely, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again played to a predominately female audience (83 percent). That film likewise played older, with 64 percent of ticket buyers over the age of 25. In terms of ethnicity, Caucasians made up 68 percent of the audience, followed by Hispanics (16 percent), Asians (8 percent), African Americans (4 percent) and other (4 percent).”

The action-packed preview shows Washington taking no prisoners as he exacts revenge for his friend Susan Plummer (Melissa Leo) and kills a bunch of other bad guys in the process. 

“I punish the guilty…if you’re lucky..they give you the opportunity to do the right thing…this ain’t one of those times,” Washington says in the trailer.

Check it out:

The Equalizer 2 is the first sequel Denzel Washington has ever done and he’s joined by Pedro Pascal, Bill Pullman, and Ashton Sanders. Richard Wenk wrote the film directed by Antoine Fuqua.