New or old, comedy or drama, no film could match the strength of “The Equalizer” at the Friday box office.
The new Denzel Washington vehicle grossed $12.6 million in its first day of release. That total more than doubled that garnered by any other cinematic release.
It also tops the $9.9 million opening day mark posted by Washington’s 2013 film “2 Guns,” which benefited from a summer opening and the presence of Mark Wahlberg in the co-headlining role.
The total does, however, trail the opening day mark of 2012’s “Safe House.” That film, which was Washington’s last action film prior to “2 Guns,” earned $13.6 million on February 10, 2012 en route to a $40.2 million opening weekend.
This weekend, “Equalizer” drew its closest competition from holdover champ “Maze Runner.” The film earned $5.2 million in its second Friday.
New release “The Boxtrolls” followed with $4.9 million, while “This is Where I Leave You” ($2.2 million, #4) and “No Good Deed” ($1.4 million, #5) completed the top five.
