Box Office: ‘Candyman’ Scaring Off Competition With Projected $20.7 Million

The worldwide box office for 2021 is projected to come in at $20.2B, 52% down on the record-breaking 2019 and 68% above the pandemic-hobbled 2020, says a new report from Gower Street Analytics. The London-based film tech company, which specializes in predictive box office for the distribution and exhibition sectors, calculated the end-of-year estimate following its assessment that global box office had matched 2020’s total results by the close of last month.

NEW YORK -- “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” stayed on top at the box office, collecting $35.8 million in ticket sales in its second weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.That total was good enough for the best second-weekend gross of any film during the pandemic, edging out the previous Marvel movie, “Black Widow.” This year, relatively few films have held well in theaters either because they've been streaming simultaneously at home or because moviegoers' attention

And in another victory for champions of theatrical exclusivity, “Shang-Chi” now has a higher 10-day domestic total than “Black Widow” with $145 million domestic and $257.6 million worldwide. The Scarlett Johannson blockbuster, which was offered as a $30 premium Disney+ title, had $131 million and a 69% second weekend drop compared to 54% for “Shang-Chi.” “Shang-Chi” isn’t the only way Disney is resuming its domination of the box office.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterMarvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” capped off Labor Day weekend at the box office with a bang.

Tango Shalom — where a female Tango dancer (Dancing with the Stars champion Karina Smirnoff) invites an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi (Jos Laniado) to enter a televised dance competition — was an arthouse standout this weekend with a per screen average of over $4,000 at four theaters in New York and LA.

Defying what has historically been a slow end-of-summer frame at the box office, Disney/Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” smashed records over the Labor Day weekend by grossing an estimated $71.4 million over the three-day frame and a Disney-projected $83.5 million through Monday from 4,300 locations.

That 3-day total is second only to the $80 million opening for “Black Widow” on the list of highest post-shutdown domestic opening weekend totals and just tops the $70 million opening for “F9” earlier this summer. The 4-day total is also nearly triple the previous record for the highest Labor Day opening weekend record of $30.5 million set by “Halloween” in 2007.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” delivered the sizzle that struggling movie theaters so desperately needed, debuting to $71.4 million in its inaugural weekend.

Ellise Shafer administratorMarvel and Disney’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is expected to soar to the top of the domestic box office over the holiday weekend with an estimated four-day debut of $75 million to $85 million.The superhero film took in $29.6 million on Friday from 4,300 theaters. Some industry experts are estimating “Shang-Chi’s” earnings could even reach $86 million over its first four days, with a predicted three-day gross of $70.8 million.

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” kicked off its box office in Thursday night previews by making $8.8 million from screenings beginning at 6 p.m.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaMarvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings” debuted to $8.8 million in Thursday night previews. The impressive number is the second highest preview result of COVID times, just behind the $13.2 million that “Black Widow” pulled in two months ago.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief“Free Guy” grabbed a convincing win at the top of the China box office, marking the end of a Hollywood drought and was earned despite difficult conditions.The family-friendly comedy earned $23.8 million in three days, according to data from Artisan Gateway. That was fully 56% of the nationwide theatrical haul between Friday and Sunday.It earned $3.77 million of its total from Imax screens.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“Candyman” was summoned to the top of domestic box office charts, collecting an impressive $22.37 million from 3,569 theaters in its first three days of release.The R-rated slasher film, written by Jordan Peele and directed by “Captain Marvel 2” filmmaker Nia DaCosta, surpassed industry expectations despite fears the delta variant would keep people from going to the movies.

Produced on a $25 million budget and directed by Nia DaCosta, the sequel to the 1992 horror classic has been well-received with a B on CinemaScore and an 85% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film also added $5.2 million from 51 overseas markets for a global total of $27.6 million.

Candyman sequel has had a big opening weekend at the Box Office.The film, which is a direct sequel to the 1992 original starring Tony Todd, has grossed $20.7 million (£15.04 million) during its opening weekend which is particularly high for a summer horror movie (via Deadline).The film was especially popular with 18-34 year-olds, who made up 71 per cent of the audience turnout.The Nia DaCosta-directed feature is also performing well with critics – reviews see it currently scoring 72% on Rotten

Directed by Nia DaCosta and produced by Jordan Peele, “Candyman” has been well-received by critics and audiences with a B on CinemaScore going alongside an 85% critics score and 74% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was produced on a reported $25 million budget.

“Candyman,” the horror film from director Nia DaCosta and co-writer Jordan Peele, made $1.9 million at the box office in its Thursday night previews from 2,750 theaters with showings beginning at 7 p.m. It opens on 3,569 North American theaters.“Candyman,” an MGM film released by Universal, is a contemporary reimagining and spiritual sequel to the 1992 cult classic of the same name.Universal is projecting the film to open in the mid-teens this weekend.

“F9,” the ninth film in the “Fast & Furious” saga, on Wednesday has officially grossed over $700 million worldwide. It’s not only by far a pandemic record for an American film, but it’s also the first MPA film to cross that threshold since 2019.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterUniversal’s reimagining of “Candyman” is expected to scare off its competition at the weekend box office.After numerous COVID-related delays, the R-rated slasher film, based on the urban legend of a killer who is summoned by those daring to repeat his name five times into a mirror, opens Friday in more than 3,400 North American theaters.

Rebecca Davis editorDisney’s “Luca” is the first Hollywood picture to get a release in China in weeks, but its opening figures didn’t make that big of a splash — at least, not close to enough to douse the continued reign of Donnie Yen action film “Raging Fire.”The animation directed and co-written by Enrico Casarosa swam to a $5.1 million China opening weekend, according to consultancy Artisan Gateway.