Candyman hooked the top spot at the North American box office. The Universal Pictures film starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II impressively pulled in more than $22.3 million through a quiet weekend despite concerns over the delta variant, per the AP. The R-rated horror movie, co-written by Jordan Peele and directed by Nia DaCosta, 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. The new film expects to gross $5.23 million in 51 international markets. “It was a quiet weekend, but it was another check mark in the success column for horror,” Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore.
Candyman claimed No. 1 over second place Free Guy, which scored first place at the box office the previous two weekends. The action comedy starring Ryan Reynolds as a background character in a video game, earned more than $13.5 million. After Free Guy, the numbers begin to substantially drop. Dergarabedian said consumers are being very selective in what they do outside of their homes, particularly when it comes to heading into theaters. “When you have brand new movies, if they are of a genre that people love like horror or have a star like Ryan Reynolds and a movie that’s perceived to be great, people want to go out to see them,” he said. “The other films that are either available on streaming and/or not getting the greatest buzz or reviews are going to drop by the wayside. It’s just the nature of this marketplace.”
The top 10 movies by estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday according to Comscore.
- Candyman
- Free Guy
- PAW Patrol
- Jungle Cruise
- Don't Breathe 2
- Respect
- The Suicide Squad
- The Protege
- The Night House
- Black Widow
(More
box office stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
