Denzel Washington's "The Equalizer" tops weekend box office with $35M - CBS News

Denzel Washington takes out a thug in a scene from "The Equalizer." Scott Garfield/Columbia Pictures

Flexing his star power, Denzel Washington led the thriller "The Equalizer" to a $35 million debut, according to studio estimates Sunday.

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The Sony-Columbia Pictures release dominated the weekend box office, surpassing some expectations for the film. Washington plays a former commando living a quiet life in Boston when the disappearance of a prostitute acquaintance (Chloe Grace Moretz) lures him into a battle with the Russian mafia.

The strong opening marks the third-best debut in Washington's career, trailing only 2012's "Safe House" ($40.1 million) and 2007's "American Gangster" ($43.6 million). Washington, who will turn 60 in December, has been one of Hollywood's most reliable draws without the benefit of anything like a superhero franchise.

"The Equalizer" reteams Washington with director Antoine Fuqua, who helmed 2001's "Training Day." That film memorably earned Washington an Oscar for best actor. A sequel to "The Equalizer," which is loosely based on the 1980s CBS series, is already in development.

"We feel like we have a real opportunity with a sequel and a possible franchise with this film," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony.

Last weekend's top performer, the young-adult novel adaptation "The Maze Runner," starring Dylan O'Brien, slid to second with $17.5 million in its second week. The 20th Century Fox release also has a sequel in the works, due out next September.

The stop-motion animated release "The Boxtrolls" opened in third place with $17.3 million. It's the best opening yet for Laika, the Oregon-based animation studio whose previous films are the Oscar-nominated "Coraline" and "ParaNorman."

Critics have been less than enthusiastic about "The Boxtrolls," about a boy raised by nocturnal, box-wearing critters beneath the British village of Cheesebridge. But the Focus Features release capitalized on the relative dearth of family-friendly options in theaters over recent months.

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