Denzel Washington Movie Leaps to #1 Netflix Film

The Equalizer 3 arrived on Netflix on New Year's Day and it's already topping the charts. According to Netflix's daily chart for Tuesday, January 2nd, the third film in the Equalizer franchise is already sitting at number one based on time viewed. It's ahead of 2018's Aquaman which came in at number two, Meg 2: The Trench at number three, Elvis at number four, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie at number five. John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum, John Wick, Joker, Rebel Moon: Part One — A Child of Fire, and Leave the World Behind round out the top ten.

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 Is The Best Reviewed Equalizer Movie Ever

The Equalizer 3 currently holds a 76% "Fresh" rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The first two Equalizer movies have scores of 61% and 52%, respectively. The third film also has a higher audience score than both of its predecessors.

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]." 

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