The new Candyman, directed by Nia DaCosta and produced by Jordan Peele, recently became the first number one film in the box office to be helmed by a Black woman.
DaCosta earning the No. 1 spot places her ahead of two Black women directors who came close to making history: Ava DuVeray’s Selma and A Wrinkle in Time, and Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Love and Basketball.
The horror film, which has already surpassed its financial projections during opening weekend, has performed much better than box office analysts expected considering its release in the midst of a pandemic.
“Universal believed it would attract Black viewers with the pedigree of Get Out and Us, and it did,” said IndieWire. “However, the appeal was more diverse: Per the studio’s audience survey, 37 percent of the audience was Black, white was 30 percent, Latinos 22 percent, and Asians 5 percent. That spread was key to reaching the higher number.”
Candyman serves as a sequel to the original 1992 film directed by Bernard Rose, and stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Colman Domingo, and Vanessa Williams. The film’s intrigue and anticipation can be attributed to Jordan Peele’s name being attached, as the outstanding success of Get Out and Us broke barriers for Black horror filmmakers. The raving reviews, however, commend DaCosta’s individual style and the strong execution of the risk-taking film.
Previously, 31-year-old DaCosta earned the Nora Ephron Prize at the Tribeca Film Festival for her debut crime thriller feature film Little Woods. Now, she’s serving as the director for The Marvels (2022) in perhaps her most monumental project yet. We can’t wait to see what DaCosta creates next!
Watch the trailer for Candyman below.
