Denzel Washington Defeats Zack Snyder As The King Of Netflix
There’s just no keeping Denzel Washington down as The Equalizer 3 is now the top film streaming on Netflix, knocking Zack Snyder’s space epic, Rebel Moon, from the throne. The third installment in Antoine Fuqua’s high-action film series had an impressive run at the box office when it landed in theaters at the end of last summer, so its early streaming success doesn’t come as a surprise.
As for the numbers, The Equalizer 3 transfixed 14.8 million viewers during the first week of January, while Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire held the attention of 11.1 million people.
The Equalizer 3 Knocks Rebel Moon From Netflix’s Top Spot
This is the first time that Zack Snyder’s sci-fi adventure flick has been knocked from its top position since it made its grand Netflix debut on December 22 following a limited theatrical release the week before. As of right now, Denzel Washington’s The Equalizer 3 is the only non-Netflix original to crack the top three.
Alongside the Antoine Fuqua-helmed feature and Zack Snyder’s film is Sam Esmail’s star-studded apocalyptic sci-fi flick, Leave the World Behind, which nabbed 7.9 million views during the first week of the New Year.
Robert McCall Back In Action
Though he has given up his life as a U.S. marine-turned-vigilante, seeking out retirement in Southern Italy, Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) is forced back into the business after his friends are threatened by the city’s criminal underbelly. With no one else able to help them break free of the mafia’s brutal control, Robert McCall realizes that he’s the only one who can help the people he’s come to call family.
Denzel Washington Reunites With Dakota Fanning
Along with Denzel Washington, The Equalizer 3 also starred Dakota Fanning (Uptown Girls), David Denman (The Office), Eugenio Mastrandrea (From Scratch), and Remo Girone (Ford vs Ferrari). The movie was a big moment for Fanning and Washington as the duo had previously appeared alongside one another in the 2004 feature Man on Fire. Directed by Tony Scott, the project saw Washington step into a similar role as in The Equalizer 3, as he was tasked with protecting a young girl (Fanning) from those who would wish her harm.
The Final Chapter
While Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning’s on-screen reunion wasn’t the sole reason that audiences turned out in droves for the third – and supposedly final – installment in Antoine Fuqua’s franchise, it certainly didn’t hurt.
But, it’s even more likely that fans were eager to catch the third chapter following the success of the two productions that came before it in 2014 and 2018. By the time The Equalizer 3 dipped out of theaters, it had grossed an impressive $191 million at the global box office against its budget of $70 million.
Talks Of A Prequel
With the third film marking a perfect bookend to the story that Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua paired up to tell nearly a decade ago, the duo hasn’t been overly clear about where they stand on the franchise’s future.
While both men initially said that this would be Washington’s last run at Robert McCall, the director backed up his comments, pivoting to the mindset that if Washington was in, so was he. They’ve also discussed doing a prequel feature that would either de-age Washington or perhaps star his son, John David Washington, or Michael B. Jordan in the lead role. Whatever the case may be for Denzel Washington’s future in The Equalizer franchise, you can now catch the third movie streaming on Netflix.
