It’s a good week to be director Nia DaCosta. Not only did her new film, horror flick Candyman, have a spectacular opening weekend, she made history in the process, becoming the first Black female director to debut at No. 1 at the U.S. box office.
Before DaCosta, Ava DuVernay had come the closest to nabbing the top spot, opening at No. 2 in 2018 with A Wrinkle In Time.
Candyman, an update of the classic 1992 horror film of the same name, opened in theaters nationwide on Friday and ended the weekend raking in more than $22 million, according to Box Office Mojo.
DaCosta’s Candyman places the urban legend in contemporary Chicago, and stars Bay Area actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who once worked as a San Francisco city planner. Abdul-Mateen II is probably most recognizable for his roles in The Trial of the Chicago 7 and HBO’s Watchmen. Here he plays protagonist Anthony McCoy, an artist whose career aspirations lead him to dangerous places.
DaCosta directed and co-wrote the film with Get Out director Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld, one of the executive producers of BlacKkKlansman. Premiering alongside the film was a “social impact initiative,” a campaign created to promote conversation around issues explored in the film, such as gentrification.