Denzel’s Equalizer Wins Weekend Box Office

Denzel Washington is beyond equal. His thriller “The Equalizer” has a big opening weekend — taking in $35 million. It’s the third best in Washington’s long career, showing he still has star power.

The flick, directed by Antoine Fuqua, was inspired by a 1980s television series about an elite C.I.A. assassin (played by Edward Woodward) who found a second career as a freelance vigilante, specializing in payback and in pre-emptive violence in defense of the innocent.

Also on on the box office list,  “The Maze Runner” drops to second. “The Boxtrolls” — a stop-action animated family film — opens in third.  The Idris Elba, Tariji Henson film “No Good Deed” is still in the top ten after 3 weeks, dropping from 4th to 6th.