J. Kim Murphy Denzel Washington’s “The Equalizer 3” is showing some box office virtuosity, taking flight in its domestic debut after grossing $13.1 million on opening day from 3,241 venues.
That includes $3.8 million in Thursday previews, boosted by showtimes in premium large format auditoriums. The third and ostensibly final entry in Sony’s action series is gunning for the second-highest Labor Day weekend opening in history.
The holiday isn’t typically a boon for box office, though Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” set a record two years ago with a $94.6 million four-day opening. “Equalizer 3” won’t reach those heights, but it’s contending against the runner-up for the record — Rob Zombie’s “Halloween” remake, which stabbed into $30 million in 2007.
After Friday, the new vigilante film, co-financed by Sony, TSG and Eagle Pictures, is projecting a four-day opening north of $42 million.
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