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 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 theaters (such as "Candyman"
and last weekend's champ "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 -- MGM
financed and produced the film, while Universal
handled marketing and distribution -- 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 theater 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.
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 "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." In second place on
domestic box office charts, Disney and 20th
Century's "Free Guy" declined a mere 27% in its
third weekend in theaters and added $13.6
million from 3,940 venues. The sci-fi comedy
adventure, which held the No. 1 spot for two
weekends in a row, has generated $79 million to
date. "Free Guy" has grossed $179 million
globally, which is a relatively strong result
(by pandemic standards) for a movie that isn't
based on a pre-existing property.
In a distant third, "PAW Patrol" dipped 50% from
its opening weekend and brought in $6.6 million
from 3,189 locations. So far, the movie, based
on the popular kids TV show, has amassed $24
million in the U.S. and Canada.
Disney's family adventure "Jungle Cruise" ended
the weekend at the No. 4 spot, bringing in $5
million from 3,370 locations. After five weeks
on the big screen, "Jungle Cruise" has tallied
$100.1 million in the U.S. and Canada and $187
million globally while being offered
simultaneously on Disney Plus.
Sony's horror sequel "Don't Breathe 2" rounded
out the top five with $2.8 million from 2,703
cinemas. In total, the film has made $24.5
million at the domestic box office.
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