LOS ANGELES, Aug 29 (Variety.com) – Candyman was summoned to the top of domestic box office charts, collecting an impressive $22.37 million from 3,569 theatres in its first three days of release.
The R-rated slasher film, written by Jordan Peele and directed by Captain Marvel 2 filmmaker Nia DaCosta, surpassed industry expectations despite fears the delta variant would keep people from going to the movies.
Though multiplexes have struggled to sustain momentum as COVID-19 cases continue to surge, Hollywood has witnessed that new films available only in theatres (such as Candyman and last weekend’s Free Guy) have been seeing ticket sales hold steady compared to tentpoles being offered simultaneously on streaming services (like The Suicide Squad and Hugh Jackman’s Reminiscence).
Candyman cost $25 million to produce and appears on track to become one of the rare pandemic-era releases to become profitable during its theatrical run. The sequel to the 1992 film, this version starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, has been well received by critics and moviegoers, with an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes and “B” CinemaScore.
“The theatre is where this genre is best experienced because it becomes exactly that – an experience,” says 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.”
Overseas, Candyman had a slower start, opening in 51 international markets and pocketing $5.23 million for a global tally of $27.6 million.
In recent weeks, new releases like Candyman, the Ryan Reynolds-led Free Guy, and Paramount’s animated adventure PAW Patrol sold more movie tickets than expected, yet the overall box office is pacing roughly 50% behind the same period in 2019.
“Vaccinations are picking up, but not fast enough to make a difference yet,” says David A. Gross, who runs consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “For now, it’s impressive that moviegoing is holding up as well as it is.”
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