It’s official — Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan’s Sinners is not just a hit, it’s a full-on phenomenon.
Warner Bros.’ genre-bending vampire epic delivered a $45 million second weekend, representing a mere 6% drop from its massive $48 million opening. That’s practically unheard of for a major release outside of the year-end holidays — and it’s now the smallest second-weekend drop ever for an R-rated horror movie, and the smallest drop for any film opening north of $40 million since Avatar in 2009.
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Through Sunday, Sinners has now amassed an estimated $122.5 million domestic and a $161.6 million worldwide. At this pace, Coogler’s $90 million period horror film is set to be one of 2025’s defining box office successes — completely upending the early skepticism and shade that surrounded it before release.
A Historic Second Weekend
Most horror movies, even successful ones, fall sharply after opening — typically dropping 50% to 65%. Get Out famously dropped just 15%, which was considered extraordinary for the genre.
Sinners, however, is pacing at only a 6% decline — numbers usually reserved for four-quadrant family hits or holiday tentpoles.
For perspective:
- The Nun II fell 55% in its second weekend.
- Smile dipped 41%.
- Even Get Out saw a 15% drop.
Compared to those, Sinners is in a class of its own.
The film’s ability to attract its audience is a major factor: while opening weekend skewed slightly male (56%), the audience has now evened out to 50% female and 50% male. Diversity among viewers also remains strong, with significant turnout from Black, Latino, and Asian American audiences.
IMAX screenings continue to be a major driver, contributing $10.25 million to the second weekend’s haul — about 23% of the weekend total — raising Sinners’ IMAX domestic run to $25.3 million.
The New Era of Vampire Films
Sinners is also part of a larger surprise comeback for vampire stories at the box office. Alongside Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, which released at the end of 2024, Sinners is helping revive a subgenre that has struggled in recent years.
Recent vampire titles like Renfield, The Last Voyage of the Demeter, and Abigail all underperformed, despite decent critical reception.
But Sinners and Nosferatu have hit differently — earning strong audience scores, critical acclaim, and meaningful box office success.
- Nosferatu grossed over $181 million worldwide.
- Sinners, after just two weekends, has already pulled in $161.6 million globally and is climbing fast.
Both films are being credited with restoring excitement and seriousness to vampire storytelling — delivering thoughtful, scary, and emotional genre films that audiences are showing up for.
A Boom Weekend for Theaters
The entire box office is buzzing this weekend, with total sales across all films soaring to $146 million — more than double last year’s numbers during the same period.
Other highlights:
- Disney’s re-release of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith edged into second place with $25.2 million, a stunning figure for a 20-year-old film.
- Amazon MGM’s The Accountant 2 landed third with $24.4 million, showing strong appeal to older adult audiences, especially with 27% of its ticket buyers aged 50 and up.
- Warner Bros.’ A Minecraft Movie continued to hold strong, pulling another $22.7 million in its fourth weekend and pushing toward $800 million worldwide.
AMC CEO Adam Aron even took a moment during this weekend’s AFI Lifetime Achievement event honoring Francis Ford Coppola to publicly celebrate the renewed energy in theaters, calling the latest box office trends “the spark the industry has been waiting for.”
Sinners’ Future
With Sinners widening its audience and no major competition for IMAX and premium screens until late May, it’s poised to keep growing over the next few weekends.
What once seemed to others like a “risky” $90 million original movie is now becoming a massive win for original filmmaking — and for audiences craving bold, inventive stories. Or as Warner Bros. executives reportedly put it while visiting packed L.A. theaters this weekend: “This is why we make movies.”
And based on these numbers, Sinners might just be getting started.