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Equalizer 2 Takes out Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

Movie audiences preferred visceral vigilante violence to ABBA-themed sentimentality over the weekend.

Denzel Washington’s R-rated sequel The Equalizer 2 knocked off Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again in a bit of a surprise finish. Specifically, The Equalizer 2 pulled in an estimated $35.8 million compared to Mamma’s $34.4 million. (Both of those figures, for the record, were better than their predecessors’ opening-weekend numbers.)

From there, it was something of a sequel battle royale. Eight out of the top 10 films at the multiplex this weekend were sequels—a record number of follow-ups in that top cinematic tier.

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation continued sucking up cash in its second weekend, to the tune of $23.2 million. Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp buzzed up another $16.1 million. And Incredibles 2 continued to pad its record take for an animated movie, adding another $11.5 million in its sixth weekend in theaters. To date, Pixar’s superhero sequel has nabbed an incredible $557.3 million domestically, and it’s not done yet.

The only other newcomer in wide release was the horror thriller Unfriended: Dark Web, which only managed to befriend about $3.5 million. Lest that seem a lonely amount, however, keep in mind that this horror sequel only cost $1 million to make, which means it’s already moved from red to black.

Next week, expect another sequel already generating positive reviews, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, to become the latest franchise flick to top the charts. Look for our review Thursday afternoon.