Second time lucky for Denzel

Los Angeles : Superstar Denzel Washington had never made a sequel in a career reaching back nearly four decades, but when he did, with the Sony/Columbia production of “The Equalizer 2,” it managed to open at the top of the North American box office. With estimated ticket sales of $35.8 million for the three-day weekend, “Equalizer” edged out another new sequel, star-studded “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,” according to industry tracker Exhibitor Relations.

In his new film, Washington again plays a former black-ops agent -- and now soft-spoken Lyft driver -- who is drawn back into action to avenge a friend’s death. Director Antoine Fuqua also made “Training Day,” which earned Washington a best actor Oscar nod. Industry watchers had expected Universal’s “Mamma Mia!” to open atop the box office, but its ticket sales of $34.4 million were “by no means a disappointment” at 22 percent above the original film’s opening, according to Hollywood Reporter.

With a star-studded cast -- including Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan -- the film is set after the events of the original “Mamma Mia!” but uses flashbacks to fill in the story of Streep’s carefree character on the sun-splashed Greek island where an ABBA soundtrack is never far away. In third spot was “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” from Sony, which took in $23.2 million. The animated comedy, whose voice cast includes Adam Sandler and Selena Gomez, follows Count Dracula and his family as they get away from their hotel for their own vacation.