With movies still having a tough time at the box office, it's worth celebrating when some have a real impact. And for this past weekend's Candyman, there's more to admire, as it made more than $22 million, beating expectations and handing director Nia DaCosta the achievement of becoming the first Black female filmmaker to have the top film at the US box office.
The path has been paved by the likes of Ava DuVernay and and Gina Prince-Bythewood and now DaCosta has broken new ground with her horror movie.
Candyman has once again proved that horror, particularly with a – pun intended – hook like this has, appealing to diverse audiences but drawing in those who have followed Jordan Peele's (he produced and worked on the script) career. DaCosta, meanwhile, shows no sign of slowing down, moving on to make the MCU sequel The Marvels.
In other box office news, Free Guy continues to over-perform in the pandemic era, making more than $100 million from international audiences and closing in on $80 million in the States. Also doing well? Jungle Cruise, which has crossed $180 million internationally and now has a sequel in the works...