Nia DaCosta became the first Black woman to direct and debut a No. 1 film in the U.S. box office, representing how Black women are showing up and showing out in the film industry.
Her movie “Candyman” is a classic horror film which hit theaters Aug. 27th. The movie ended the weekend with over $22 million in sales, according to Box Office Mojo.
The movie’s box office success is monumental in DaCosta’s career. It is especially impressive considering we are still in the COVID-19 pandemic and theaters finally opened up after being closed for a year. The original release date was June 2020, but the film release was pushed back three times due to concerns regarding the pandemic.
Despite COVID-19 complications, her film still grossed over $40 million in worldwide sales on a $25 million budget.
“Candyman” is the fourth film of the series, based on the original 1992 urban legend “The Forbidden” by Clive Barker. The 2021 film is considered a spiritual sequel to the original.
The film starting DaCosta’s career rise was the 2018 indie film “Little Woods.” Afterward, more producers recognized her talent, including Jordan Peele, who hand-picked her to direct “Candyman” after she co-wrote and directed “Get Out” with Peele.
DaCosta is set to direct the sequel to Marvel Studios’ “Captain Marvel,” according to Deadline. Her position working on a Marvel movie will continue to increase diversity both on and off the Marvel sets. DaCosta will be the first Black woman to direct a Marvel movie.
With this new project, she is moving away from horror and into a lighter story.
“It’s a lot less traumatizing to work on for sure,” DaCosta said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “It’s more freedom than I’ve had for anything.”
