The Equalizer 3

It is a sequel to The Equalizer 2 and the third and final installment of The Equalizer trilogy, based on the television series of the same name. The film stars Denzel Washington, reprising his role as retired U.S. Marine and DIA officer Robert McCall, with Dakota Fanning, Eugenio Mastrandrea, David Denman, Gaia Scodellaro, and Remo Girone in supporting roles. In the film, McCall discovers that his new friends in a small town in South Italy are intimidated by Camorra members, where he sets out to save them from the threat.

The Equalizer 3
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Antoine Fuqua
Written by	Richard Wenk
Based on	The Equalizer by Michael Sloan Richard Lindheim
Produced by	Todd Black Jason Blumenthal Denzel Washington Antoine Fuqua Steve Tisch Clayton Townsend Alex Siskin Tony Eldridge
Starring	Denzel Washington Dakota Fanning David Denman
Cinematography	Robert Richardson
Edited by	Conrad Buff
Music by	Marcelo Zarvos
Production companies	Columbia Pictures Eagle Pictures Escape Artists Zhiv Productions
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Releasing
Release dates	August 28, 2023 (2023-08-28) (Rome) September 1, 2023 (2023-09-01) (United States)
Running time	109 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	English Italian
Budget	$70 million
Box office	$191.1 million

Talks over a third entry to the franchise began following the second film's release on August 2, 2018. Following a long delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the project was officially announced in January 2022. Filming began on October 10, 2022 in Italy on the Amalfi Coast and continued in the region until November 20, after which it moved to Naples in early December, before wrapping production in Rome by January 2023. Robert Richardson served as director of photography on the film, after previously working with Fuqua on Emancipation (2022).

The Equalizer 3 was released in the United States on September 1, 2023 by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success, grossing $191 million worldwide against a $70 million budget.

At a secluded winery in Sicily, Robert McCall kills a gangster, Lorenzo Vitale, and his henchmen to obtain a key to the winery's vault and recoup money stolen in a cyber-heist. While leaving the winery, Robert is shot in the back by Vitale's grandson. Robert attempts suicide due to his injury, but finds his gun out of bullets and then takes the ferry back to the mainland. While driving on the Amalfi Coast, Robert pulls over and slips into unconsciousness from shock. He is found and rescued by Gio Bonucci, a local carabiniere.

Gio brings Robert to a remote coastal Italian town called Altamonte where he is treated by small-town doctor Enzo Arisio. As he recovers, Robert becomes acquainted with the locals and becomes fond of the town and its people. Robert makes an anonymous phone call to CIA officer Emma Collins to tip her off about the winery's role in the illegal drug trade disguised as normal business transactions in Sicily. Collins and other CIA operatives arrive at the winery and find millions in cash along with bags of fenethylline tablets hidden in a storeroom, confirming Robert's suspicions.

Meanwhile, members of the Camorra harass and kill villagers in an attempt to coerce them out of their housing and take over Altamonte for commercialization purposes. Robert overhears Marco Quaranta, a high-ranking Camorra member, pressuring local store owner Angelo for payments. To make an example of him, the Camorra firebombs Angelo's fish store as the entire town watches. Gio reviews video of the firebombing and calls the Italian central police for an inquiry. Along with his wife and daughter, Gio is attacked by the Camorra and beaten for interfering in their operations.

Thereafter, Marco demands that Gio set up a boat for him. Overhearing the conversation, Robert asks Marco to move his operations to a different location. When Marco refuses, Robert kills him and his henchmen. The Naples head of police is threatened and tortured by Vincent, Marco's brother and head of the Camorra, and is ordered to find the person responsible for Marco's death. Vincent has Collins's car rigged with a bomb, but she survives after Robert warns her. Vincent threatens to shoot Gio in front of the entire town, only for Robert to reveal himself. The citizens begin to record Vincent and his henchmen on their camera phones, causing Vincent and his gang to retreat and return to his home; they then prepare to retaliate the following day.

Later that night, Robert infiltrates Vincent's home, kills Vincent's bodyguards, and forces Vincent to take a lethal dose of his own drugs. Through Collins, Robert returns the money he had taken from the winery to an elderly couple's pension fund. Back in Langley, Virginia, Collins receives a promotion for her role in ending the Altamonte drug trade. She receives a package containing a book of contacts and a note from Robert congratulating her and stating that her mother would be proud of her; thus, the note reveals Collins to be the daughter of Robert's late friend and colleague, Susan Plummer. With the Quaranta brothers dead, Robert celebrates with the locals after their football team's victory.

• Denzel Washington as Robert McCall
• Dakota Fanning as Emma Collins
• Eugenio Mastrandrea as Gio Bonucci
• David Denman as Frank Conroy
• Gaia Scodellaro as Aminah
• Remo Girone as Enzo Arisio
• Andrea Scarduzio as Vincent Quaranta
• Andrea Dodero as Marco Quaranta
• Daniele Perrone as Angelo
• Dea Lanzaro as Gabriella Bonucci
• Sonia Ben Ammar as Chiara Bonucci
• Bruno Bilotta as Lorenzo Vitale
• Salvatore Ruocco [it] as Vincent's Man
• Alessandro Pess as Viking

In August 2018, Antoine Fuqua announced his plans to continue the film series. The filmmaker expressed interest in the plot taking place in an international setting.

By January 2022, a third film was officially confirmed to be in development, with Denzel Washington returning in the titular role. Washington was paid $20 million for his involvement. In June 2022, Dakota Fanning was announced to have been cast as well, partnering with Washington 19 years after Man on Fire (2004). By November 2022, Sonia Ben Ammar, Andrea Dodero, Remo Girone, Eugenio Mastrandrea, Daniele Perrone, Andrea Scarduzio, and Gaia Scodellaro were added to the cast. Production designer Naomi Shohan spent a month in Italy scouting locations, before selecting the village of Atrani as the main setting for the film.

Principal photography began on October 10, 2022 on the Amalfi Coast in Italy. Filming continued in the region until November 20, after which it moved to Naples in early December, before wrapping production by January 2023, in Rome. Fuqua once again served as director, with Washington announcing that it would be his next movie. Robert Richardson serves as director of photography on the project, after previously working with Fuqua on Emancipation.

In May 2023, Marcelo Zarvos was brought in to score the film's music after previously collaborating with Fuqua in Brooklyn's Finest (2009), What's My Name: Muhammad Ali (2019), The Guilty (2021) and Emancipation (2022). He replaced Harry Gregson-Williams, who scored the previous instalments in the trilogy as well as Fuqua's The Replacement Killers and Infinite. Love, Disorderly by Thomas Azier was added as a soundtrack to the film.

The Equalizer 3 was released by Sony Pictures Releasing on September 1, 2023 in both conventional formats and IMAX. It received a release on premium video on demand formats on October 3, 2023. The film was released on Netflix in the United States on January 1, 2024. The film was re-released theatrically on February 2, 2024 in the United States for one week.

Box office

The Equalizer 3 has grossed $92.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $98.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $191.1 million.

In the United States and Canada, The Equalizer 3 was projected to gross $28–30 million from 3,965 theaters in its opening weekend, and a total of $33–40 million over the four-day Labor Day frame. The film made $13.1 million on its first day, including $3.8 million from Thursday night previews, up from the totals of the first ($1.5 million) and second ($3.1 million) films. It went on to debut to $34.6 million (and a total of $42.8 million over the four days), topping the box office and marking the second-best Labor Day weekend of all-time, after Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). In its second weekend, the film fell 65% to $12 million, finishing second behind newcomer The Nun II.

Its biggest territories outside the United States and Canada were the United Kingdom ($10.2 million), Germany ($8.4 million), Australia ($7 million), and France ($6.7 million).

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 76% of 164 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "Another entertaining outing from Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington, The Equalizer 3 mostly makes up for its formulaic story with generous helpings of cathartic action." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 58 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, same as the previous installment, while those polled at PostTrak gave it a 90% overall positive score, with 72% saying they would definitely recommend the film.

The Independent's Clarrise Loughrey gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, writing, "At its best – and The Equalizer 3 is about as good as the first film – it neatly counterbalances Fuqua's baroque, blood-and-guts action with Washington's ability to command attention while sitting perfectly still." The Sunday Times's Tom Shone also gave it 3 out of 5 stars, writing, "Whether enjoying a cappuccino, flirting with a waitress or snapping men's forearms, Washington makes it all seem like a movie star enjoying a midlife dolce vita moment." Kyle Smith of The Wall Street Journal wrote, "For those who can tolerate extreme violence, The Equalizer 3 is diverting enough. If the script is so-so, the beautiful Italian locations, Mr. Washington's still-world-class charm and an eerie, frightening musical score by Marcelo Zarvos lift it."

Accolades

The film was nominated at the Saturn Award for Best Action or Adventure Film, while Fuqua was nominated for Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture and Washington for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture at the 55th NAACP Image Awards.

In August 2023, Fuqua stated that there have been discussions to develop a prequel movie detailing the origins of Robert McCall. The filmmaker stated that using de-aging technology to make Washington appear younger is an option, while he would also consider casting John David Washington or Michael B. Jordan in the role. Later that month, Fuqua stated that while The Equalizer 3 was talked about internally as the final film chronologically, he would be interested in returning as director for a future installment if Denzel Washington was interested in returning to the role.