Denzel Washington’s Equalizer 3 is off to a great start.

With $34.5 million over the weekend and a projected $41 million through Monday’s Labor Day vacation, Denzel Washington’s brutal assassin-thriller The Equalizer 3 opened at the top of the box office charts.

Even though Labor Day isn’t known for drawing crowds to the cinemas, this Labor Day opening weekend is the second-largest in modern times.

The next highest-grossing Labor Day debut is Rob Zombie’s 2007 Halloween remake ($26 million for the three days, $30 million through Monday), coming in behind the Labor Day record-holder Marvel’s 2021 blockbuster Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ($75 million for the three days, $94.6 million through Monday).

The attendance for Equalizer 3 nonetheless confirms Washington’s standing as a top box office draw. The three-day total is almost identical to that of its predecessors, The Equalizer (2014), which launched at $34 million, and The Equalizer 2, which debuted at $36 million in 2018.

These two films, which were both helmed by Antoine Fuqua, were able to gross more than $100 million domestically and close to $200 million internationally.

The cost of Equalizer 3, which was co-financed by Sony, TSG, and Eagle Pictures, was $70 million. By the end of its run, it hopes to reach a similar sum.

“This is a very good opening for an action thriller’s [third installment],” says Franchise Entertainment Research consultant David A. Gross.

“Reviews are the best of the series and audience scores are excellent.”