AceShowbiz - "The Equalizer 3" is blasting its way into the North American box office. The vigilante action film by Antoine Fuqua surprised with an estimated $34.5 million on Labor Day weekend, exceeding expectations.

In the United States and Canada, the action threequel starring Denzel Washington was projected to gross $28-30 million on its opening weekend and a total of $33-40 million over the four-day Labor Day frame. It went on to earn an estimated $42 million over four days, scoring the second-best opening of Labor Day weekend.

"One of the biggest movie stars in the world took us out on a high note," says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. "Studios often coast to Labor Day, but Sony was smart to choose this weekend to open 'The Equalizer 3'."

The film received generally positive reviews from critics, holding 76% fresh reviews from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences also gave it a glowing A on CinemaScore. "It's uncanny the consistency of the 'Equalizer' franchise," Dergarabedian claims.

The three-day opening number is the third-best domestic opening for Fuqua after "The Equalizer 2" ($36 million) and "The Magnificent Seven" ($35 million), and the second-best start for the franchise. It helped push the summer box office revenue past $4 billion for the first time post-pandemic, thanks in large part to "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer".

This weekend, "Barbie" officially became the biggest movie of 2023 with more than $1.36 billion globally, surpassing "The Super Mario Bros. Movie". Domestically, it added an estimated $10.6 million this weekend.

Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" sailed past $850 million globally to become the No. 3 movie of the year and Nolan's third-highest grossing. It settles in the fifth place with an estimated $5.5 million in its seventh weekend.

"Blue Beetle" holds on to the third place with approximately $7.3 million, followed by last week's champion "Gran Turismo" which falls behind to No. 4 with an estimated $6.6 million.

Top 10 of North America Box Office (Sep. 01-03, 2023):

1. "The Equalizer 3" - $34.5 million
2. "Barbie" - $10.6 million
3. "Blue Beetle" - $7.3 million
4. "Gran Turismo" - $6.6 million
5. "Oppenheimer" - $5.5 million
6. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" - $4.8 million
7. "Bottoms" - $3 million
8. "Meg 2: The Trench" - $2.9 million
9. "Strays" - $2.5 million
10. "Talk to Me" - $1.8 million