Candyman director Nia DaCosta has made a major splash at the box office during the film's opening weekend. Deadline reports that the film earned $20.4 million at the domestic box office. As a result, DaCosta became the first Black woman to debut a film atop the box office in America.
DaCosta's Candyman has had the second-best opening weekend for a film led by a Black female director. Ava DuVernay earned the top spot in 2018 with A Wrinkle In Time. With $32 million during the opening weekend, A Wrinkle In Time surpassed Little and The Photograph, which earned $15 million and $12 million respectively.
Candyman also surpassed the overall projections that the film had heading into the weekend. IndieWire reports that the film was expected to bring in $15 million during its opening weekend. With a $20.4 million performance, the film sped past initial projections by nearly 30%.
Moving forward, the team behind Candyman will have many more opportunities to break the box office. Director Nia DaCosta was recently tapped to lead the upcoming Captain Marvel sequel for Marvel. Meanwhile, Candyman star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is set to star in the upcoming reboot of The Matrix. Not to mention, producer Jordan Peele is currently working on his next horror film, Nope. With a July 2022 release date, Nope will star Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya.
For now, Candyman will return to theaters for a second weekend where it will be joined by several Black films in September. The Tragedy of Macbeth and Blood Brothers will both debut next month.
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