«Candyman» towered over box office charts.<\/b>
\n\u201cCandyman\u201d was summoned to the top of domestic box office charts, collecting an impressive $22.37 million from 3,569 theaters in its first three days of release. The R-rated slasher film, written by Jordan Peele and directed by \u201cCaptain Marvel 2\u201d 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 \u201cCandyman\u201d and last weekend\u2019s champ \u201cFree Guy\u201d) have been seeing ticket sales hold steady compared to tentpoles being offered simultaneously on streaming services (like \u201cThe Suicide Squad\u201d and Hugh Jackman\u2019s \u201cReminiscence\u201d). \u201cCandyman\u201d cost $25 million to produce \u2014 MGM financed and produced the film, while Universal handled marketing and distribution \u2014 and appears on track to become one of the rare pandemic-era releases to become profitable during its theatrical run. Overseas, \u201cCandyman\u201d 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 \u201cCandyman,\u201d the Ryan Reynolds-led \u201cFree Guy,\u201d and Paramount\u2019s animated adventure \u201cPAW Patrol\u201d sold more movie tickets than expected, yet the overall box office is pacing roughly 50% behind the same period in 2019. \u201cVaccinations are picking up, but not fast enough to make a difference yet,\u201d says David A. Gross, who runs consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. \u201cFor now, it\u2019s impressive that moviegoing is holding up as well as it is.\u201d In second place on domestic box office charts, Disney and 20th Century\u2019s \u201cFree Guy\u201d declined a mere 31% in its third weekend in theaters and added $12.7 million from 3,940 venues. The sci-fi comedy adventure, which held the No.1 spot for two weekends in a row, has generated $78 million to date. In a distant third, \u201cPAW Patrol\u201d 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.<\/p>\n