Denzel Washington Dethrones Rebel Moon for #1 Netflix Movie

Rebel Moon is no longer the top movie on Netflix. Netflix released its Top 10 films for the week January 1 through January 7th and the Denzel Washington starring The Equalizer 3 has officially dethroned Zack Snyder's latest film. According to Netflix, The Equalizer 3 had 26.8 million hours viewed on 14.8 million views during the time period while Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire only clocked 25.1 million hours viewed with 11.1 million views. Leave the World Behind rounded out the top three with 18.7 million hours viewed with 7.9 million views. The Equalizer 3 arrived on Netflix on January 1st.

The Equalizer 3 opened in theaters on September 1, 2023, and saw retired U.S. Marine and DIA officer Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) discover that his friends in a small town in South Italy are being intimidated by members of the Camorra, prompting him to set out to free them from the threat. The film also stars Dakota Fanning, Eugenio Mastrandrea, David Denman, Gaia Scodellaro, and Remo Girone and was directed by Antoine Fuqua. The film marked the first time ever that Washington has reprised a role for a third film with The Equalizer 2 being the first sequel the actor ever participated in.

The Equalizer 3 Has Man on Fire Connections

While the Equalizer franchise and Tony Scott's Man on Fire aren't actually connected, they do share the connective tissue that is Denzel Washington. Equalizer 3 brings Dakota Fanning into the franchise, reuniting with Washington after they both starred in Man on Fire back in 2004. While speaking to ComicBook.com, director Antoine Fuqua explained that he sees Equalizer 3 as something of a spiritual successor to Tony Scott's film.

"We never talked about it collectively, but I've thought about it that way," Fuqua said. "You know when Dakota said she was interested I thought 'Ah yeah! This is Man on Fire but years later – and this is what he's doing,' you know? But I never said that to them because they're just in the characters [of Equalizer 3] in those moments. But when you see them together, man – when I saw them on set – it was just like... [holds hands up] just smiling – I was just like 'Yeah...' [laughing]." 

What Is Rebel Moon About?

In Rebel Moon: Part One: A Child of Fire, when a peaceful settlement on a moon in the furthest reaches of the universe finds itself threatened by the armies of the tyrannical Regent Balisarius, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a mysterious stranger living among the villagers, becomes their best hope for survival. Tasked with finding trained fighters who will unite with her in making an impossible stand against the Motherworld, Kora assembles a small band of warriors — outsiders, insurgents, peasants and orphans of war from different worlds who share a common need for redemption and revenge. As the shadow of an entire Realm bears down on the unlikeliest of moons, a new army of heroes is formed.

"This is me growing up as an Akira Kurosawa fan, a Star Wars fan," Snyder said in a statement when the film was first announced. "It's my love of sci-fi and a giant adventure. My hope is that this also becomes a massive IP and a universe that can be built out... I've spent the last two or three years building out this universe. Every corner has to be painted in. I've been doing designs, constantly drawing and really cultivating its fertile ground to make this world fully realized."

What do you think about The Equalizer 3 dethroning Rebel Moon? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.