Credit: Sony Pictures Releasing

Netflix brought a bunch of Hollywood blockbusters on its coattails right at the start of October, including the 2023 Denzel Washington-starrer The Equalizer 3, which is currently storming the top 10 movies chart on its own.

During the week of September 28th to October 4th, the vigilante action-thriller cracked the top five of Netflix’s most popular movies chart with 5million views, becoming the number one movie in two countries, including Brazil and the Dominican Republic.

Serving as a sequel to The Equalizer 2 and the third instalment in The Equalizer franchise based on the eponymous TV series, the star-studded threequel follows retired US Marine and DIA officer Robert McCall, who, after being severely injured in a high-stakes operation, is taken in by the kind inhabitants of a small coastal village called Altamonte.

As Robert finds solace in the seaside town of Southern Italy, he discovers that local mafias and crime lords have been extorting shop owners and terrorising the residents with strict control, leaving him with no option but to step up as Altamonte’s saviour.

Although The Equalizer films routinely make the rounds on Netflix shelves, as is evident from the third instalment’s fifth non-consecutive week on the chart, they never fail to grab the audience’s attention. And ever since news broke that Washington and director Antoine Fuqua are re-teaming up for a fourth and fifth instalment, the franchise has sparked renewed interest, prompting a surge of rewatches.

As The Equalizer is Washington’s only recurring movie franchise, the entries have always enjoyed a loyal fanbase, with the third part widely crowned the best. As a result, The Equalizer 3 wasted no time making its mark on Netflix’s weekly top 10 charts.

The Equalizer 3 is one such film that has enjoyed the box office frenzy, grossing a whopping $191.1million worldwide on a reported budget of $70million. And upon its arrival on streaming, it has been received just as warmly, with a 76% critic score and 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Anyone lurking in the Netflix corridors while searching for an easy recommendation that promises equal parts thrill, intrigue, and action should go straight for this box-office-proven blockbuster. Of course, the film’s not short on returning viewers craving another round, or opting for a recap before the follow-ups arrive. But the Denzel Washington effect has also made sure of just as much new audience discovery on streaming.

So, in case you’re yet to watch, take this as your cue and hit play on The Equalizer 3 before it changes its streaming home.