R-rated horror slasher Candyman had a strong opening weekend at the domestic box office, earning $22.3 million in 3,569 theaters.
This news comes by way of Variety, which also reports that the Nia DaCosta-directed and Jordan Peele-produced film brought in an additional $5.2 million overseas across 51 international markets. This brings Candyman's opening weekend grand total to about $27.5 million.
The movie, which cost MGM $25 million to produce, is due to be quite profitable for the studio, according to Variety. This is especially great news for MGM as other R-rated movies have struggled in the pandemic-era box office. The Suicide Squad opened to just $26.5 million, despite industry expectations that predicted it would pull in around $30 million, for example.
However, unlike Candyman, The Suicide Squad also debuted on a subscription streaming service (HBO Max), following suit with many other movies released this summer. What The Suicide Squad didn't make at the box office, it might have made up for with new HBO Max subscriptions.
Candyman debuted exclusively to theaters, though, and having already made back the money it cost to make, the upcoming three-day weekend could be big for the horror movie. Variety cites the movie's nature as a sequel, as well as its 85% on Rotten Tomatoes and "B" CinemaScore, as reasons for its box office success.
The Yahya Abdul-Mateen II-led movie knocked Ryan Reynolds’ Free Guy down to second place after the video game-themed movie sat at the number one spot for two weeks straight. Free Guy earned an additional $13.6 million from 3,940 theaters, a decline of 27% from its second weekend to the third, according to Variety's report. This brings Free Guy's grand box office total up to $179 million.
The animated PAW Patrol from Paramount took third place this weekend, bringing in $6.6 million from 3,189 theaters. Its grand total in the U.S. and Canada where it was shown sits at $24 million. Disney's Jungle Cruise came in fourth, bringing in another $5 million for a total of $187 million at the box office (although the movie is also available on Disney+ as a Premiere Access title).
Sony's Don't Breathe 2 took fifth place with $2.8 million across 2,703 theaters, bringing the movie's total at the domestic box office to $24.5 million.
Check out our thoughts on Candyman in IGN's Candyman review and then read this list of seven things you probably didn't know about Candyman. Check out this video featuring the movie's director and cast discussing the legacy and meaning of Candyman after that.
Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.