Denzel Washington’s 2014 action-thriller The Equalizer has hit Netflix and immediately shot into the Top 10, but its newfound success just underscores one disappointing reality for the franchise. Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua first teamed up for The Equalizer in 2014. The original movie made $192 million on just a $55 million budget, becoming a big hit and earning solid reviews for its stylish action and the powerful teamwork of Fuqua and Washington. Since then, The Equalizer trilogy, now streaming, has only gotten stronger.

As a former Marine Corps. gunnery sergeant and black ops agent for U.S. intelligence, the character of Robert McCall has fit Denzel Washington like a glove. McCall can’t just be played by an actor who can handle a gun or throw a punch; he also needs a commanding screen presence. Denzel Washington has now become synonymous with the role, even with it having been a book first, then a 1980s TV series, and now a current TV series starring Queen Latifah as a gender-flipped McCall. Washington is the actor equated with the franchise. That’s why it’s disappointing he’ll likely never return to the role, despite The Equalizer enjoying newfound success on Netflix.

The Equalizer Has Proved Popular On Netflix (Following On From The Equalizer 3’s Success)

It’s Still A Well-Liked Franchise

Despite the wait, The Equalizer 3 proved successful, both at the box office and then with its streaming release on Netflix. Worldwide, the threequel made $191 million on a budget of $70 million, turning a great profit, so the audience was obviously invested. The movie is also Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 76% critics score and an excellent 94% audience score. It later went on to trend on Netflix and reinvigorate audiences, some of whom had already seen it in theaters and had just been waiting for it to hit streaming. Almost a decade after the first movie was released, the trilogy is clearly going strong.

Now the original movie has hit Netflix, and it’s also proving popular with viewers. Netflix’s viewing numbers for The Equalizer are incredible, with it hitting the #8 spot in the streamer’s Top 10 with 3.5 million views during the first week of July. That’s doubly impressive considering that the time frame covers the 4th of July holiday when more people are at barbecues and pool parties than sitting at home binging Netflix movies. Equally as impressive is that despite it being a decade-old movie, enough people are interested in it to put it into Netflix’s top spots.

The Equalizer On Netflix Is A Reminder That The Equalizer 4 May Not Happen

Washington Has Said The Equalizer 3 Was His Last Ride

The success of both the third movie and the first, whether at the box office or on streaming, just drives home what a disappointment it is that The Equalizer 4 will likely never happen. If it does, Denzel Washington won’t return for The Equalizer 4; he’s already said as much. Considering The Equalizer franchise director Antoine Fuqua has said he won’t do The Equalizer 4 without Washington, that’s as close a confirmation as anything that a fourth movie in the franchise, at least with the Fuqua-Washington pairing, will not happen. They’d always talked about The Equalizer 3 as the last one, and it seems they’re sticking to that.

Why The Equalizer 4 Should Happen

It’s Great To See Washington Return To The Role

That said, it would be a real shame should The Equalizer 4 truly never come to fruition. It’s been a great action franchise for Denzel Washington, who has brought his gravitas and intensity to the role of Robert McCall in all three movies. The Equalizer has been a consistently solid franchise partly because Washington and Fuqua make a great team, but also because they haven’t rushed to churn out sequels solely for the sake of it. Each time, they’ve made sure they had a strong story they really loved before committing to shooting another one.

Beyond the franchise being a consistently entertaining one, The Equalizer 4 not happening also leaves Washington without a franchise, period. The Equalizer is the only franchise Denzel Washington has ever done; he’s simply not been involved in sequels. While he’s open to them, for whatever reason, his movies have never become franchises in the way The Equalizer has, even his successful movies. At almost 70 years of age, even if Washington does get a franchise opportunity, it very likely won’t have the action of The Equalizer by necessity. With that being the case, it would be fantastic to see Washington suit up for one last ride as Robert McCall.