Ryan Coogler is taking a moment to say thank you — and he’s doing it the only way he knows how: with heart, honesty, and homage.
Following a breakout weekend at the box office, the Sinners director penned a deeply personal letter to the audience — the folks who showed up, showed out, and reminded the world that original storytelling still has a place in theaters.
“Eternal gratitude. My heart is bursting with it,” Coogler wrote. “I want to thank each and every one of you who bought a ticket to see Sinners — who changed work schedules, grabbed friends, booked sitters, carpooled, and made a night of it. Who watched more than once. Who texted your group chats, posted online, or stood in the theater lobby afterward just to take it all in and talk.”
And the numbers back it up.
The genre-blending, blood-soaked Southern tale earned $48 million domestically and $63.5 million globally in its opening weekend — beating out Minecraft (which had over 700 more theaters) and landing the biggest box office debut for an original film since Jordan Peele’s Us. That’s not just a win — that’s a statement.
But for Coogler, the story behind Sinners runs deeper than numbers. “This film was born out of love. Love for my family, my ancestors, and for this art form,” he said. “I believe in cinema. I believe in the theatrical experience. It’s a necessary pillar of society. It’s why so many of us have dedicated our lives to the craft — and we can’t do it if y’all don’t show up.”
That belief in the power of film is what drove Sinners — a 1930s-set horror drama about twin gangsters, Smoke and Stack (played by Michael B. Jordan in dual roles), who open a juke joint in the Mississippi Delta, only to be met by vampires in search of more than just a good time. It’s rooted in Black Southern culture, steeped in blues, and plays like a fever dream — all with something to say.
One song in particular — “Wang Dang Doodle” — inspired the whole thing. Coogler shared that his late uncle James, who wasn’t a musician but a passionate listener of the blues, was a major influence. “I used to play that music just to feel closer to him,” he shared. “And I thought — what if I made a movie that felt like that?”
The story may be fiction, but the journey was personal — and so were the shoutouts. Coogler took time in the letter to spotlight his longtime collaborators: Michael B. Jordan (five films over 13 years), composer Ludwig Göransson (17 years strong), and his producing partner and wife Zinzi Coogler. He also shouted out editor Michael Shawver, who “did exceptional work on this film that isn’t being talked about enough.”
He didn’t stop there. Coogler paid respect to a wide and eclectic list of inspirations, ranging from Spike Lee, John Singleton, and Ava DuVernay to David Lynch, Julie Dash, Jordan Peele, Steven Spielberg, Andrea Arnold, and even Stephen King. “Every time you show up to the movies, you make space for people like me to keep swinging,” he wrote. “Maybe together, we can expand the definition of what a blockbuster is. What horror is. What an IMAX audience looks like.”
As for what’s next? Coogler’s keeping it cinematic: “I’ll see you at the movies. Popcorn bucket in hand.”
Sinners — starring Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo, Li Jun Li, Jack O’Connell, and Omar Benson Miller — is now playing in theaters nationwide.
And based on the way audiences are turning out, this might just be the beginning of a new era for bold, Black-led original storytelling on the big screen.
Full letter below:
Eternal Gratitude.
My heart is bursting with it. I want to thank each and every one of you who bought a ticket to see SINNERS. Who decided to drive to see the film in different formats. Who bought popcorn and a drink, booked a sitter and carpooled, and stood in the lobby afterwards and talked and made a friend. Who changed their work schedules. Who saw the film in groups.
I want to thank you all who watched more than once, who recommended the film to others, both in person and on social media or on your text message chains.
I had the gift of the opportunity of making a film inspired by my family and my ancestry but it was always a film that we wanted to make for audiences, in theaters. We always had our minds on you, the audience, and felt a deep responsibility to entertain you, and move you in the way only cinema can.
I believe in cinema. I believe in the theatrical experience. I believe it is a necessary pillar of society. It’s why me and so many of my colleagues have dedicated our lives to the craft. We don’t get to do what we do if you don’t show up. The global theatrical audience has allowed me to dream, find a career, and build a more sustainable life for me and my family. And the only way that I know how to thank you for that, is by continuing to mine my personal human experience and my relationships for more stories to bring to you in cinematic language. To see your response to the film has re-invigorated me and many others who believe in this art form.
For this script, this crew, and this cast, I dug deep into myself and reached back to my ancestors who breathed so much life and purpose into me. I also unabashedly reached towards my cinematic influences including but not limited to, Spike Lee, John Singleton, Ernie Barnes, Steve McQueen, Ava DuVernay, Euzhan Palcy, Eudora Welty, Oscar Micheaux, Robert Rodriguez, Barry Jenkins, Quentin Tarantino, Nicolas Roeg, Andrea Arnold, Jeremy Saulnier, Paul Thomas Anderson, Joel and Ethan Coen, Bill Gunn, Jordan Peele, John Carpenter, Boots Reilly, Shaka King, Nia DaCosta, Terence Nance, Rian Johnson, Bradford Young, David Cronenberg, David Lynch, Chris Nolan, Emma Thomas, Theodore Witcher, Francis Coppola, Julie Dash, Steven Spielberg, Kahlil Joseph, Mati Diop, Ben and Josh Safdie, Stephen King, Robert Palmer, Amiri Baraka, Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma, George Lucas, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Walter Mosley, Stephen Graham Jones, Joel Crawford, Wes Craven, and many others.
Every time you show up to theaters you allow us to come back and do it again. And together maybe we can expand the definition of what a blockbuster is, of what a horror movie is, and of what an IMAX audience looks like. I’ll see you at the movies, popcorn bucket in hand!
With many thanks,
Ryan Coogler
(fellowship love! written in blue ink)
P.S.
Much has been made about my 13 year partnership with Michael B. Jordan, my 17 year partnership with Ludwig Göransson, and my near lifelong partnership with Zinzi Coogler. But I wanted to shout out Michael Shawver our picture editor who I have been working with for 15 years. Michael did EXCEPTIONAL work on this film that isn’t being talked about enough, and he missed the press tour to spend time with his beautiful kid. Want to highlight him here and thank him too.