'The Equalizer 2' (left), 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again' 
 
 In a battle of the sequels — and the sexes — Denzel Washington's R-rated action pic outgunned the $34.4M debut of 'Mamma Mia 2.' 
 
 In a summer box-office upset, Sony's R-rated The Equalizer 2 came in ahead of expectations to top the star-studded Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again with an estimated $35.8 million launch in North America. 
 
 Mamma Mia 2 grossed an estimated $34.4 million. The numbers could shift when final weekend earnings are tallied on Monday. Overseas, the sequel debuted to $42.4 million, from its first 43 markets, for a global bow of $76.8 million. The U.K. led with $13.1 million. 
 
 The female-fueled Mamma Mia 2 is by no means a disappointment in North America and opened in line with expectations. As it turned out, Equalizer 2 beat projections, thanks to an ethnically diverse audience and keen interest among men. (Rival studios show the movie coming in closer to $35 million, but Sony is counting on a strong Sunday.) Internationally, the pic only debuted in 11 markets, earning $3.3 million. 
 
 Equalizer 2 is the first sequel of Washington's career. The original film was a sleeper hit in fall 2014 after opening to $34.1 million domestically. The budding franchise — both pics were directed by Antoine Fuqua — follows the exploits of an ex-government operative drawn back into action. This time out, Washington's character is determined to exact revenge for the death of a friend. Males made up around 60 percent of ticket buyers. 
 
 "This opening speaks to the star power of Denzel Washington. And you can't go wrong with the combination of Denzel and Antoine Fuqua," says Sony distribution chief Adrian Smith, noting that the film marks Fuqua's highest domestic opening. The exec also believes there is room for both Equalizer 2 and another male-fueled action pic opening next weekend, Mission: Impossible — Fallout. 
 
 Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders, Melissa Leo and Bill Pullman also star in Equalizer 2, which marks the fourth movie Fuqua and Washington have made together after The Equalizer, Training Day and The Magnificent Seven. 
 
 Equalizer 2 earned an A CinemaScore, compared to an A- for its predecessor. Mamma Mia 2 received an A-, the same CinemaScore as the 2008 original. 
 
 Mamma Mia 2's domestic opening came in 22 percent head of the first film, which opened to $27.7 million in summer 2008 on its way to grossing $609.8 million globally, not adjusted for inflation. 
 
 "We consider it an outstanding opening. These kind of movies leg out like crazy," says Universal domestic distribution president Jim Orr. 
 
 A big curiosity factor is Cher, who, along with Lily James, are among the newcomers to the Mamma Mia! brand. Returning stars included Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep Julie Walters, Christine Baranski, Dominic Cooper, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan and Stellan Skarsgard. The story traverses time to when Streep's character (Donna) is pregnant. 
 
 Mamma Mia 2 is one of the few 2018 summer event films targeting females, who made up more than 80 percent of Friday's audience, according to comScore. 
 
 In June, Warner Bros.' female-fronted spinoff Ocean's 8 opened to $41.6 million on its way to earning $256.7 million globally. And Paramount's Book Club, starring Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen and Candice Bergen, was a sleeper hit in May upon grossing nearly $70 million domestically. 
 
 The weekend's third new nationwide offering, Blumhouse's horror-thriller Unfriended: Dark Web, came in at No. 9 with an estimated $3.5 million against a tiny production budget of $1 million. The found-footage pic, directed by Stephen Susco (The Grudge), follows a twenty-something who finds a cache of hidden files on his new laptop. He soon realizes that the former owners of his computer will do anything to get the laptop back. 
 
 Among holdovers, Sony's Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation came in at No. 3 domestically with $23.2 million for a 10-day total of $91.1 million. Internationally, it earned another $37.7 million from 51 markets to pass the $200 million mark and finish Sunday with a global cume of $206.7 million. 
 
 Disney/Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp was No. 4 with $16.1 million for a domestic total of $164.6 million and worldwide tally of $353.5 million after earning another $21.6 million offshore. 
 
 Disney also took fifth place with Incredibles 2. The Pixar tentpole grossed $11.5 million for a dazzling domestic cume of $557.3 million. Internationally, the animated film took in $36.5 million from 42 territories for a worldwide total of $940.1 million, meaning it has a strong shot of approaching $1 billion by the end of its run. 
 
 Dwayne Johnson's summer event film Skyscraper continued to struggle in the U.S. in its second weekend, falling to No. 6 and grossing $11 million for Legendary and Universal. That puts the pic's 10-day North American cume at $46.7 million. 
 
 However, Johnson's star status translated into big numbers in China, where Skyscraper topped the weekend with a rousing $47.7 million for Legendary East. Combined with the $27.7 million earned in other foreign markets over the weekend, the action-disaster pic won the frame internationally with $75 million. Skyscraper finished Sunday with a worldwide total of $179.6 million; unfortunately, the film is still facing a loss. 
 
 New specialty offerings at the U.S. box office included Lionsgate and Code Black's critically acclaimed urban drama, Blindspotting. The Oakland-set urban drama marks the feature directorial debut of Carlos Lopez Estrada, and stars Hamilton's Daveed Diggs opposite Rafael Casal, who also co-wrote the script. 
 
 Blindspotting, which opened in 14 theaters in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago and the Bay Area, grossed $332,500 for a screen average of $23,750, one of the best averages of the weekend. 
 
 The top average of the weekend belongs to Bleecker Street's Alexander McQueen documentary McQueen, which opened to $96,928 from four theaters for an average of $23,854. 
 
 Amazon Studios’ new offering, Generation Wealth, opened to $33,602 from four cinemas for a screen average of $8,401. 
 
 Meanwhile, A24's Eighth Grade continued to impress as it expanded into a total of 32 locations in its sophomore outing. The film earned roughly $794,000 for a stellar screen average of $24,072. 
 
 Among other indie holdovers, Neon's acclaimed doc Three Identical Strangers continued to climb the chart, grossing $1.4 million from 332 theaters for a cume of $4.6 million. The film placed No. 14, the best ranking of any specialty title behind Annapurna's Sorry to Bother You, which came in at No. 10 with $2.8 million from 1,050 locations for a total of $10.2 million. 
 
 Three Identical Strangers is the latest documentary to prosper at the summer box office after RBG and Won't You Be My Neighbor?, which has crossed the $18 million mark domestically in a major win for Focus Features. 

 In a twist straight out of a movie, “The Equalizer 2” shot past “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” to steal the box office crown. 
 
 Going into the weekend, it looked like “Mamma Mia! 2” would easily debut at No. 1. Final numbers won’t come in until Monday, but weekend estimates show Sony’s “The Equalizer” sequel opened above estimates with $35.8 million when it launched in 3,388 locations, while Universal’s highly anticipated follow-up to “Mamma Mia!” debuted with $34.4 million from 3,317 screens. 
 
 “Equalizer 2,” the first sequel of Denzel Washington’s nearly four-decade long career, debuted overseas with $3.3 million in 11 international territories. In North America, “Equalizer 2” premiered ahead of its predecessor. 2014’s “The Equalizer” opened with $35 million and went on to generate $192 million worldwide, including $101 million domestically. 
 
 “It was a surprise to come in at No 1. in an extremely competitive marketplace,” Adrian Smith, Sony’s head of domestic distribution, said. “It really speaks to the power of Denzel, without a doubt. We expect it to play to a great multiple.” 
 
 Antoine Fuqua returned to direct “The Equalizer 2,” which also stars Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders, Melissa Leo, and Bill Pullman. Though it got a head start on the original film at the box office, reception has been less enthusiastic for the sequel, which currently holds a tepid 50% average on Rotten Tomatoes. Its CinemaScore, however, sits at an A. 
 
 Related 'The Meg' Feasts on $97 Million Overseas, With $50.3 Million in China Cher to Release New Album ‘Dancing Queen’ Next Month 
 
 “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” couldn’t dance its way to the top of the domestic box office, but its $34 million opening is still a win. The original “Mamma Mia!” hit theaters a decade ago with $27 million. It became a box office hit, amassing $615 million worldwide on a $52 million budget. Much like the first film, the sequel will likely be a smash overseas, where Swedish pop group ABBA has a huge following. This weekend, it launched internationally with $42.4 million when it opened in 42 markets. 
 
 “The results from audiences has really been electric,” Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic distribution said. “There was a pent-up wait to see this after the first film generated such goodwill.” 
 
 Aside from “Ocean’s 8” and “Book Club,” few offerings this summer have targeted female audiences. Orr said that, along with overseas appeal, should give the jukebox musical long legs at the box office. 
 
 Much of the star-studded cast — including Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard, Colin Firth, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, and Dominic Cooper — returned for the second film. Lily James made her debut as the younger version of Meryl Streep’s charming and carefree Donna, while living legend Cher also joined the cast. Ol Parker, the screenwriter behind “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” took over directing duties and penned the script. 
 
 The final wide release of the weekend, BH Tilt’s “Unfriended: Dark Web,” got off to a scary start. The low-budget horror film debuted way below projections with $3.5 million from 1,546 locations. That might not matter, considering the Blumhouse title carries a $1 million price tag. “Dark Web” is a standalone sequel to 2015’s “Unfriended.” That film became a cash cow, opening with $15 million and going on to earn $64 million from a $1 million budget. 
 
 “The Grudge” and “Texas Chainsaw 3D” writer Stephen Susco made his directorial debut with “Dark Web,” which features Colin Woodell, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Betty Gabriel, and Andrew Lees. 
 
 Among holdovers, “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” nabbed third place during its second outing. Sony’s animated sequel picked up another $23 million from 4,267 locations, bringing its domestic tally to $91 million. It has made $115 million internationally, including $37.7 million this weekend. 
 
 In fourth, Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp” pocketed $16 million from 3,778 screens in its third frame. In total, the Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lily-led superhero blockbuster has made $165 million in North America. Globally, the Marvel title has crossed $353.5 million. 
 
 Disney-Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” rounded out the top five with $11.5 million. In six weeks, the animated sequel has earned a massive $557 million in North America and $940 million worldwide. 
 
 Meanwhile, Dwayne Johnson’s “Skyscraper” continues to struggle in North America. Universal’s action adventure dropped 56% in its sophomore weekend, collecting $11 million in 3,822 locations. The studio is hoping for massive returns internationally given the film’s estimated $125 million budget. It bowed in China with $45 million, taking its weekend total to $86 million. So far, “Skyscraper” has made $176.8 million globally. 
 
 At the specialty box office, Lionsgate’s “Blindspotting” bowed with $332,500 when it opened in 14 theaters. That’s a solid per-screen-average of $23,750. Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal co-wrote and star in “Blindspotting, which debuted to raves at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. 
 
 Bleecker Street’s “McQueen,” a documentary chronicling the life of iconic fashion designer Alexander McQueen, landed the top theater average of the weekend with $24,232. It scored $96,928 when it opened in four theaters. 
 
 Another new offering, Amazon Studios’ “Generation Wealth,” bowed on four screens with $33,602 for a per-theater-average of $8,401. 
 
 A24’s “Eighth Grade” continued to receive high marks in its second frame. Bo Burnham’s directorial debut continued its rollout to 32 locations, where it earned $794,000 — averaging $24,072 per screen. 
 
 Elsewhere, documentaries have continued their hot streak. Neon’s “Three Identical Strangers” brought in another $1.4 million. In four weeks, the acclaimed doc has earned $4.3 million. Focus Features’ “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” has now surpassed $18.4 million, including $1.3 million this weekend. Magnolia and Participant’s “RBG” has crossed $13 million, picking up $168,000 in its 12th frame, while Roadside Attraction’s “Whitney” made $118,470, taking its total to $2.8 million. 
 
 Annapurna’s “Sorry to Bother You” cracked the top 10 domestically with $2.8 million when it expanded to 1,050 locations. In total, Boots Riley’s dark comedy has collected $10.3 million. 
 
 Other holdovers include Amazon Studios’ “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot” ($265,360 from 62 screens) and Bleecker Street’s “Leave No Trace” ($891,545 from 361 locations). 
 
 The summer box office is up a healthy 10.5% compared to 2017, according to comScore. The year-to-date total is also at an uptick, crossing $7 billion half way through 2018. 
 
 POPULAR ON VARIETY:
– The Equalizer 2 surprised Hollywood by passing Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and taking top spot at the weekend box office, Variety reports. The Denzel Washington vigilante thriller banked $35.8 million over Mamma Mia's $34.4 million, with Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation ($23 million), Ant-Man and the Wasp ($16 million), and Incredibles 2 ($11.3 million) wrapping up the top five. Another wide release was Unfriended: Dark Web—a sequel to 2015's Unfriended—which limped along at $3.5 million but cost only $1 million to make. Among specialty offerings: Blindspotting, about two lifelong friends coping with the final days of probation, was released on 14 screens in major cities and grossed $332,500, per the Hollywood Reporter.