Original Horror Reigns Supreme: Ryan Coogler’s Sinners Stuns with $63.5M Worldwide Box Office profits over its opening weekend.
It was a massive Easter weekend for original storytelling, as Ryan Coogler’s Southern gothic vampire film Sinners soared past expectations, grossing $48 million domestically and $63.5 million globally.
Originally projected to come in second behind Minecraft—a favorite that had led the box office for two consecutive weekends—Sinners defied predictions and claimed the top spot, knocking Minecraft down to $40.5 million. The film stars Michael B. Jordan in a dual role as twin brothers Smoke and Stack, whose dreams of running a Mississippi juke joint descend into chaos when vampires crash opening night.
While some critics on social media downplayed the win due to the film’s hefty $90+ million budget or claimed its success was riding on Coogler’s Black Panther legacy, the numbers tell a different story. Warner Bros. went all-in on marketing Sinners as a cinematic event, and it paid off — 45% of its domestic gross came from premium large-format screens, with IMAX accounting for a record-breaking 20% for a horror film.
Coogler originally envisioned Sinners as a gritty, low-budget project filmed on Super 16mm. But a transformative location-scouting trip to Mississippi changed his vision. Inspired to go bigger, and pushed by Warner Bros. executives to embrace large-format presentation, Coogler shot the movie using IMAX cameras — making it the first film since Oppenheimer to receive IMAX 70mm screenings.
With bold storytelling, epic scale, and a push for premium viewing experiences, Sinners is more than a box office win. It’s a statement: audiences are hungry for fresh, original stories — not just reboots and sequels.
To summarize Ryan Coogler’s Sinners exceeded expectations over Easter weekend, earning $63.5 million worldwide and outperforming Minecraft at the domestic box office. The film, starring Michael B. Jordan in dual roles, captivated audiences with its original vampire story set in the Deep South. Warner Bros. marketed it as a theatrical event, with 45% of domestic earnings coming from large-format screens, including a record-breaking 20% from IMAX for a horror film. Coogler originally envisioned a low-budget production but shifted to a grand IMAX format after visiting the film’s Mississippi setting. Despite online skepticism, Sinners is on track to turn a profit and signals strong demand for original, non-franchise films in theaters.
