At this point, it’s not even a debate — it’s history in motion.
Warner Bros.’ Sinners continues to defy expectations, pulling in a projected $25–$30 million domestic in its second weekend after earning $13 million on Friday alone. That would mark one of the smallest second-weekend drops ever for a wide-release horror movie — and the best second-weekend hold Warner Bros. has seen since Crazy Rich Asians in 2018.
By the end of Sunday, Sinners is expected to reach around $104M–$107M domestic after just 10 days in theaters.
Globally, the film has already surpassed $127.5 million — and it’s just getting started.
Why This Second-Weekend Hold Is Historic
Most horror movies typically drop 50% to 65% after their opening weekend — even successful ones.
To put it in perspective:
- The Nun II dropped 55%.
- Smile (a big 2022 hit) dropped 41%.
- Halloween Ends collapsed with an 80% fall.
- Even Get Out — considered a phenomenon — dropped 15% in weekend two.
Sinners, on the other hand, is pacing for only an 8%–13% drop.
That kind of staying power is almost unheard of for horror — and more comparable to holiday-season blockbusters like Crazy Rich Asians, which famously dipped just 6.4% in its second frame.
In short: this isn’t just a strong hold for horror. It’s a strong hold, period.
Setting Records, Shifting Narratives
At this point, Sinners now holds:
- The second-best second weekend for an R-rated horror movie after It.
- The third-best second weekend of Ryan Coogler’s career behind Black Panther and Wakanda Forever.
- One of the strongest second-weekend holds across the entire genre.
Audience excitement hasn’t just stayed strong — it’s grown. According to PostTrak, the positivity score for Sinners jumped to 96% this week (up from 92% opening weekend), and the “definite recommend” number remains high at 81%.
Even more telling: the film’s reach is expanding.
Women now make up 56% of the audience this weekend (up from 43%), and the under-25 crowd surged from 20% to 34%.
On the diversity front, Black moviegoers continue to lead at 43%, with Latino, Hispanic, and Asian American turnout growing week over week.
IMAX and premium formats are still selling out across major cities, including Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, and San Francisco.
More Than a Moment — A Movement
Sinners isn’t just winning because of smart marketing or even just the Coogler-Jordan creative partnership (though both help). It’s because this is a film that people feel invested in.
There’s a collective energy around seeing it succeed — folks are clocking miles, booking second, third, and even fourth viewings, and treating this movie’s success like it’s personal.
Because it is.
Ryan Coogler said it best in his letter to audiences earlier this week:
“Together maybe we can expand the definition of what a blockbuster is, what a horror movie is, and of what an IMAX audience looks like.”
That expansion is happening in real time.
With $104M–$107M domestic and $127M+ worldwide already locked in, Sinners is pacing ahead of all early projections — and proving that original storytelling still has real power at the box office.
Not based on a video game. Not a remake. Not a superhero flick.
Just a bold, emotional, genre-pushing original story — and it’s working.
Weekend Box Office Snapshot
While Sinners leads the charge, the whole industry is seeing a major boom:
- Total domestic marketplace this weekend is projected at $139M, the best final weekend of April since Covid.
- The Accountant 2 (Amazon MGM) is projected to land second with $23–$25 million domestic.
- Disney’s 20th Anniversary re-release of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith is also aiming for $23–$25 million domestic.
- A Minecraft Movie is still pulling in about $20 million in its fourth weekend.
Cinema’s alive — and Sinners is leading the revival.