Summary
Denzel Washington’s 2014 action-thrillerThe Equalizerhas hit Netflix and immediately shot into the Top 10, but its newfound success just underscores one disappointing reality for the franchise. Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua first teamed up forThe Equalizerin 2014.The original movie made $192 million on just a $55 million budget,becoming a big hit and earning solid reviews for its stylish action and the powerful teamwork of Fuqua and Washington. Since then,The Equalizertrilogy, now streaming, has only gotten stronger.
As a former Marine Corps. gunnery sergeant and black ops agent for U.S. intelligence, the character ofRobert McCall has fit Denzel Washingtonlike a glove. McCall can’t just be played by an actor who can handle a gun or throw a punch; he also needs a commanding screen presence.Denzel Washington has now become synonymous with the role, even with it having been a book first, then a 1980s TV series, and now a current TV series starring Queen Latifah as a gender-flipped McCall. Washington is the actor equated with the franchise. That’s why it’s disappointing he’ll likely never return to the role, despiteThe Equalizerenjoying newfound success on Netflix.
The Equalizer Has Proved Popular On Netflix (Following On From The Equalizer 3’s Success)
It’s Still A Well-Liked Franchise
Despite the wait,The Equalizer 3proved successful, both at the box office and then with its streaming release on Netflix. Worldwide,the threequel made $191 million on a budget of $70 million, turning a great profit, so the audience was obviously invested. The movie is also Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 76% critics score and an excellent 94% audience score. It later went on to trend on Netflix and reinvigorate audiences, some of whom had already seen it in theaters and had just been waiting for it to hit streaming. Almost a decade after the first movie was released, the trilogy is clearly going strong.
Now the original movie has hit Netflix, and it’s also proving popular with viewers.Netflix’s viewing numbers forThe Equalizerare incredible,with it hitting the #8 spot in the streamer’s Top 10 with 3.5 million views during the first week of July.That’s doubly impressive considering that the time frame covers the 4th of July holiday when more people are at barbecues and pool parties than sitting at home binging Netflix movies. Equally as impressive is that despite it being a decade-old movie, enough people are interested in it to put it into Netflix’s top spots.
$55 million
$192 million
61%
77%
$62 million
$190 million
52%
$70 million
$191 million
76%
94%
The Equalizer On Netflix Is A Reminder That The Equalizer 4 May Not Happen
Washington Has Said The Equalizer 3 Was His Last Ride
The success of both the third movie and the first, whether at the box office or on streaming,just drives home what a disappointment it is thatThe Equalizer 4will likely never happen. If it does,Denzel Washington won’t return forThe Equalizer 4; he’s already said as much. ConsideringThe Equalizerfranchise director Antoine Fuquahas said he won’t doThe Equalizer 4without Washington, that’s as close a confirmation as anything that a fourth movie in the franchise, at least with the Fuqua-Washington pairing, will not happen. They’d always talked aboutThe Equalizer 3as the last one, and it seems they’re sticking to that.
Why The Equalizer 4 Should Happen
It’s Great To See Washington Return To The Role
That said,it would be a real shame shouldThe Equalizer 4truly never come to fruition.It’s been a great action franchise for Denzel Washington, who has brought his gravitas and intensity to the role of Robert McCall in all three movies.The Equalizerhas been a consistently solid franchise partly because Washington and Fuqua make a great team, but also because they haven’t rushed to churn out sequels solely for the sake of it. Each time, they’ve made sure they had a strong story they really loved before committing to shooting another one.
Beyond the franchise being a consistently entertaining one,The Equalizer 4not happening also leaves Washington without a franchise, period.The Equalizeris the only franchise Denzel Washington has ever done; he’s simply not been involved in sequels. While he’s open to them, for whatever reason, his movies have never become franchises in the wayThe Equalizerhas, even his successful movies. At almost 70 years of age, even if Washington does get a franchise opportunity, it very likely won’t have the action ofThe Equalizerby necessity. With that being the case, it would be fantastic to see Washington suit up for one last ride as Robert McCall.
The Equalizer
The Equalizer is an action thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua starring Denzel Washington as Robert McCall, a former intelligence operative who lives a quiet life in Boston. When he encounters a young girl named Teri, played by Chloë Grace Moretz, threatened by violent Russian gangsters, McCall comes out of retirement to use his skills to restore justice. The film reimagines the 1980s TV series of the same name.
