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    “The Equalizer” Tops Weekend Box Office With $35M Debut

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    In this image released by Columbia Pictures, Denzel Washington appears in a scene from the film, "The Equalizer." (AP Photo/Sony, Columbia Pictures, Scott Garfield)

    By Jake Coyle, Film Writer

    NEW YORK (AP) --

    Flexing his star power, Denzel Washington led the thriller "The Equalizer" to a $35 million debut, according to studio estimates Sunday.

    The Sony-Columbia Pictures release dominated the weekend box office, surpassing some expectations for the film. Washington plays a former commando living a quiet life in Boston when the disappearance of a prostitute acquaintance (Chloe Grace Moretz) lures him into a battle with the Russian mafia.

    The strong opening marks the third-best debut in Washington's career, trailing only 2012's "Safe House" ($40.1 million) and 2007's "American Gangster" ($43.6 million). Washington, who will turn 60 in December, has been one of Hollywood's most reliable draws without the benefit of anything like a superhero franchise.

    "He's the very model of box-office consistency," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak. "I can't think of another star that's this consistent, that remains this rock solid over the course of three decades."

    "The Equalizer" reteams Washington with director Antoine Fuqua," who helmed 2001's "Training Day." That film memorably earned Washington an Oscar for best actor. A sequel to "The Equalizer," which is loosely based on the '80s CBS series, is already in development.

    "We feel like we have a real opportunity with a sequel and a possible franchise with this film," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony.

    Last weekend's top performer, the young-adult novel adaptation "The Maze Runner," starring Dylan O'Brien, slid to second with $17.5 million in its second week. The 20th Century Fox release also has a sequel in the works, due out next September

    The stop-motion animated release "The Boxtrolls" opened in third place with $17.3 million. It's the best opening yet for Laika, the Oregon-based animation studio whose previous films are the Oscar-nominated "Coraline" and "ParaNorman."

    Critics have been less enthusiastic about "The Boxtrolls," about a boy who's raised by nocturnal, box-wearing critters beneath the British village of Cheesebridge. But the Focus Features release capitalized on the relative dearth of family-friendly options in theaters over recent months.

    Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. Where available, the latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

    1. "The Equalizer," $35 million ($17.8 million international).

    2. "The Maze Runner," $17.5 million ($27.5 million international).

    3. "The Boxtrolls," $17.2 million ($5.1 million international).

    4. "This Is Where I Leave You," $7 million.

    5. "Dolphin Tale 2," $4.8 million.

    6. "No Good Deed," $4.6 million.

    7. "A Walk Among the Tombstones," $4.2 million ($2.1 million international).

    8. "Guardians of the Galaxy," $3.8 million ($4 million international).

    9. "Let's Be Cops," $1.5 million ($1 million international).

    10. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," $1.5 million ($3.9 million international).

    ___

    Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to Rentrak:

    1. "The Maze Runner," $27.5 million.

    2. "The Equalizer," $17.8 million.

    3. "Dearest," $13.5 million.

    4. "Lucy," $11.1 million.

    5. (tie) "The Boxtrolls," $5.1 million.

    5. (tie) "Sex Tape," $5.1 million.

    7. "Guardians of the Galaxy," $4 million.

    8. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," $3.9 million.

    9. "Into the Storm," $3.4 million.

    10. "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," $3.4 million.

    Category:News
    Tags:Antoine Fuquabox officeThe Equalizer



    Directing and Editing “Conclave”; Insights From Edward Berger and Nick Emerson

    Friday, December 27, 2024

    It’s been a bruising election year but this time we’re referring to a ballot box struggle that’s more adult than the one you’d typically first think of in 2024. Rather, on the industry awards front, the election being cited is that of the Pope which takes front and center stage in director Edward Berger’s Conclave (Focus Features), based on the 2016 novel of the same title by Robert Harris. Adapted by screenwriter Peter Straugham, Conclave stars Ralph Fiennes as the cardinal leading the conclave that has convened to select the next Pope. While part political thriller, full of backstabbing and behind-closed-door machinations, Conclave also registers as a thoughtful adult drama dealing with themes such as a crisis of faith, weighing the greater good, and engaging in a struggle that’s as much about spirituality as the attainment of power.

    Conclave is Berger’s first feature after his heralded All Quiet on the Western Front, winner of four Oscars in 2023, including for Best International Feature Film. And while Conclave would on the surface seem to be quite a departure from that World War I drama, there’s a shared bond of humanity which courses through both films.

    For Berger, the heightened awareness of humanity hit home for him by virtue of where he was--in Rome, primarily at the famed Cinecittà studio--to shoot Conclave, sans any involvement from the Vatican. He recalled waking up in Rome to “soak up” the city. While having his morning espresso, Berger recollected looking out a window and seeing a priest walking about with a cigarette in his mouth, a nun having a cup of coffee, an archbishop carrying a briefcase. It dawned on Berger that these were just people going to... Read More

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