Reinventing a popular slasher franchise for modern audiences, Candyman was always on the radars of horror fans. That said, the film did not escape release date woes in the age of COVID entirely.
First hit by the effects of the pandemic, the movie was significantly delayed from an initial June 2020 release. At long last, it hit theaters this past weekend. To its benefit, surprisingly, the majority of key creative players are more widely-known than they were 14 months ago.
Co-writer and producer Jordan Peele was already an Academy Award winning filmmaker with a burgeoning reputation as one of the genre’s finest talents. Though, director Nia DaCosta signed on to helm blockbuster superhero sequel The Marvels last August, while star Teyonah Parris made her own MCU debut this past January in WandaVision.
Leading man Yahya Abdul-Mateen lifted an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie in September, thanks to his turn in Watchmen, and he’s since become involved with high profile titles including The Matrix: Resurrections, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Mad Max: Furiosa, and Michael Bay’s Ambulance.
If anything, Candyman‘s lengthy delay worked wonders given the increased level of visibility that the director and two main characters have attained in the interim; it comfortably topped the box office with a healthy bow in excess of $22 million.
In another badge of honor, Candyman has seen DaCosta become the first black female director to helm a movie that opened at the top of the domestic charts, marking another significant moment for the industry’s increased focus on diversity.