Summary
- The Equalizer 3 has received the highest Rotten Tomatoes score in the franchise, with a current rating of 72%.
- Denzel Washington returns as Robert McCall, who fights against the Sicilian mafia in Southern Italy to protect his new friends.
- The previous movies in the franchise, The Equalizer and The Equalizer 2, received lower scores of 60% and 52% respectively.
The Equalizer 3 has nabbed the best Rotten Tomatoes score of the franchise. The movie, which premieres in theaters on September 1, sees Denzel Washington reprise the role of Robert McCall, who finds a new home in Southern Italy where he discovers he must fight back against the Sicilian mafia to protect his new friends. Washington originated the movie character in 2014’s The Equalizer, which was followed by The Equalizer 2 in 2018.
As reviews for the movie have come flooding in, Rotten Tomatoes has tabulated a score one day ahead of the Equalizer 3 release date. Its current standing on the review aggregator service is a solidly fresh 72 percent between 36 different reviews. While this score will likely shift as more reviews are added over the weekend, it is currently the highest-rated movie in the trilogy, with the original The Equalizer landing a just-barely Fresh score of 60 percent and The Equalizer 2 holding a Rotten 52 percent.
Will The Equalizer 3 Really Be the End of the Movie Franchise?
It has previously been announced that The Equalizer 3 will be the end of the Equalizer movie trilogy. However, it’s unusual for a franchise to improve in critical esteem after this many entries. If the movie’s Rotten Tomatoes score ultimately reflects audience interest in The Equalizer 3, it will likely be difficult for the studio to resist the temptation of keeping the franchise going with The Equalizer 4.
Even if the movie doesn’t get greenlit, the Equalizer franchise will continue in some form. The original 1985 series, which received a reboot with the 2014 movie, has been rebooted again in the meantime thanks to the 2021 Equalizer series starring Queen Latifah as Robyn McCall. That CBS series, which just concluded season 3 in May, has already been renewed for season 4.
It seems likely that the continued popularity of the series is part of the reason The Equalizer 3 was greenlit in the first place. If both the movie and the new season of the series become commercial successes, a new movie sequel will likely be inevitable, even if Washington doesn’t return to the role. It’s possible that a potential The Equalizer 4 could center on Dakota Fanning’s character Emma Collins, who will be introduced in the new movie.
