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

“Candyman” has hooked the top spot at the North American box office

LOS ANGELES -- “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.