Denzel Washington, "The Magnificent Seven" Ride To Top Of Box Office
Denzel Washington is still one of the top stars in Hollywood, and he proved it this weekend as The Magnificent Seven shot to the top of the box office.
The Antoine Fuqua-directed remake of the 1960 western, which also stars Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, and Vincent D'Onofrio, scored $35 million in box office sales in its opening weekend.
The Magnificent Seven had some of the best opening weekend numbers for its stars. According to The Playlist, this is the third-biggest opening for Washington, after only American Gangster and Safe House. Variety reports that he hasn't had a film open with less than $20 million since 2007's The Great Debaters. It was also the best opening weekend for Fuqua, who is best known for directing Training Day, Shooter and The Equalizer.
The animated comedy Storks landed in second place with $21.8 million. The Tom Hanks-starring Sully, which enjoyed two weeks in the number one spot, landed in third place.
Washington and Fuqua hope to continue their success together with The Equalizer 2, which they're filming next year. The film's predecessor earned a worldwide box office of over $192 million.
But Washington isn't done in 2016 yet. He and Viola Davis are co-directing and co-starring in Fences, an adaption of August Wilson's play, which is expected to be an Oscar contender.
