Horror movies remain one of the most profitable genres at the box office

Movie after movie, Hollywood’s recent blockbusters have struggled to bounce back to 2019-level ticket sales. But “Candyman” once again proved what a profit driver the horror genre is. Over the weekend, the Universal Pictures film’s debut tallied $22 million in ticket sales domestically, and another $5.2 million in international markets. The R-rated slasher film was written by Jordan Peele (“Get Out”) and directed by Nia DaCosta (“The Marvels”). The box office results surpassed industry expectations even though Covid-19 cases are rising across much of the U.S. due to the highly contagious delta variant. There are fears the trend could keep people away from cinemas.