Nia DaCosta’s “Candyman” (Universal) opens Friday as one of the last wide releases this summer.
The weekend before the Labor Day holiday is usually considered a dead zone, but this loose reboot of the 1991 horror film has potential.Pre-opening domestic estimates hover around $15 million, but there’s no other new wide releases and this property still retains interest decades later.
Add Jordan Peele as co-producer and -writer, positive reviews — along with his commitment to topicality and originality — and the response could be bigger.“Candyman” could reinforce a new reality of moviegoing: As 2021 domestic grosses close in on $2 billion, more than $400 million of that — over 20 percent — came from horror movies.
In 2019 and earlier, they accounted for less than 10 percent of total annual business.In 2021, the standout performer in the horror genre is “A Quiet Place Part II” with a $160 million domestic total, ranking third so far this year.
Its 2018 predecessor
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