Candyman becomes first film directed by a black woman to slash top box office spot

‘It was a quiet weekend, but it was another checkmark in the success column for horror’ said the senior media analyst for Comscore

File image: Michael Hargrove as Sherman Fields in a scene from ‘Candyman’ (2020 Universal Pictures )

Candyman has topped the box office by collecting more than $22.3 million (£15.9m) in the US through a quiet weekend despite concerns over the delta variant.

The R-rated Universal Pictures film is written by Jordan Peele and directed by a black female director and screenwriter Nia DaCosta.

The film stars American actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and follows a storyline that delves into an urban legend that believes if someone repeats “Candyman” five times in front of a mirror, that person would summon the hook-handed killer.

The sequel is a follow-up to the original Candyman in 1992, and the new film expects to gross $5.23 million (£3.8m) in 51 international markets.

“It was a quiet weekend, but it was another checkmark in the success column for horror,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore.

Candyman cost $25 million (£18.1m) to produce where MGM produced and financed the film, while Universal handled the marketing and distribution.

The movie has been well received by fans and critics with an 85% rating on rotten tomatoes, and “B” on CinemaScore.

“The theater is where this genre is best experienced because it becomes exactly that — an experience,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic distribution. “We’re headed to a nice run because next weekend is a three-day holiday and we had really enthusiastic audience scores.”