‘Candyman’ slashes way toward No. 1 box office spot

LOS ANGELES (AP) — “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. 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 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 waste side. It’s just the nature of this marketplace.”

In third place, “PAW Patrol” reeled in $6.6 million – a 50% dip from the film’s opening weekend number. The Paramount film, based on the...