Box Office Preview: Denzel Washington’s ‘Equalizer’ Shoots To Win

Denzel Washington’s The Equalizer is aiming to take over the top spot at the box office this weekend with a predicted $30 million debut.

The action thriller, which cost $55 million to produce, will be released throughout 3,234 theaters. Sony Pictures predicts the launch of the movie will take in roughly between $25 million and $30 million, while other tracking services suspect the movie will exceed $30 million.

“Denzel Washington doesn’t miss,” said Phil Contrino, vice president and chief analyst at BoxOffice.com. “He’s one of the last foolproof actors working. He hasn’t really had any bombs.”

The Equalizer is based on the TV show that ran in the 1980s with the same name. It starred Edward Woodward as the lead character, Robert McCall, a retired intelligence agent turned private detective. Washington, the Oscar-winning actor, stars as McCall in the adapted feature film, alongside Chloe Grace Moretz who plays a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters.

The R-rated film will compete against another wide release aimed at a completely different audience, The Boxtrolls. The PG-rated film centers on a young boy named Eggs who was raised by trolls, and features the voices of Ben Kingsley, Elle Fanning and Tracy Morgan.

The stop-motion animated film, brought by Oregon-based creators of Paranorman and Coraline, will be distributed across 3,464 locations in 3D and 2D. It is estimated to debut between $15 million to $16 million.

“Fans of stop motion are more cinephiles and that doesn’t always translate into really big box office,” said Jeff Bock, an analyst at Exhibitor Relations. “Even though there hasn’t been a new animated film in the marketplace for two months, there’s a limit to the audience that it can reach.”

Last weekend’s winner, The Maze Runner, is expected to remain successful in its sophomore weekend, while holdovers This Is Where I Leave You and Walk Among the Tombstones are estimated to take in about $6 million in their second round.

“It’s a really diverse lineup and that means a broader range of people will be exposed to trailers and in-theater marketing for upcoming films,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst with Rentrak.

Check out the trailer for The Equalizer below, which hits theaters Friday, September 26th.