Ryan Coogler’s genre-blending vampire film didn’t just sink its teeth into Easter weekend — it owned it.
Sinners officially topped the weekend box office with $48 million from 3,308 North American theaters, beating earlier estimates and narrowly edging out Warner Bros.’ other release, A Minecraft Movie, which landed with $41 million across more than 700 additional screens (4,032 total).
Globally, Sinners pulled in another $15.4 million, bringing its worldwide total to $63.5 million.
That makes Sinners the biggest opening for an original film since Jordan Peele’s Us ($71M in 2019) — and one of the top three original horror debuts in history, right alongside A Quiet Place ($50.2M).
Like those films, Sinners stands on its own as a bold, original concept — not a sequel, reboot, or franchise play — and its strong showing further proves that audiences will still show up for fresh, visionary storytelling when it’s done right.
READ: Why Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners’ Press Run Is a Masterclass in Filmmaking + Marketing [VIDEO]
A Horror Movie… Without the Typical Horror Drop
After posting $19.2M on Friday and $16.2M on Saturday, Sinners closed strong with a $12.3M Sunday — a dip of only 24%. That’s soft for horror, especially when compared to usual weekend nosedives.
By comparison, Minecraft dipped just 3% from Saturday to Sunday, but the attention remains on Sinners because it’s not just making noise — it’s building momentum.
It already outpaced Peele’s Nope in Saturday grosses ($16.2M vs. Nope’s $13.9M), and while Nope opened with $44.3M, Sinners came in higher with a budget that was 32% larger ($90M+ vs. Nope’s $68M).
But there are tradeoffs. Sinners was shot in New Orleans, qualifying for Louisiana film tax credits, and 10% of the budget was covered through Domain Capital Group’s slate deal with Warner Bros. Also? You’ve got Michael B. Jordan times two, in his fifth Coogler collab. That’s not just a performance — that’s a draw.
READ: Ryan Coogler Says You’ve Got 2 Weeks to See ‘Sinners’ the Way It Was Meant to Be Seen [VIDEO]
Audiences Showed Up — and Showed Out
Sinners didn’t just bring people in — it brought them back to the core of cinema: experience. It earned a rare A CinemaScore, becoming the first horror movie in over 35 years to do so, topping even Get Out and A Quiet Place Part II (both A-).
It also landed 5 stars on PostTrak, with 84% saying they’d definitely recommend it. Here’s how the audience broke down:
- 49% Black audience gave it a sky-high 95% positive score
- White (27%) – 91%
- Latino/Hispanic (14%) – 90%
- Asian (6%) – 86%
- Under 18s? They gave it an A+
And when it came to motivation? 47% said they came for Jordan. 40% came for Coogler. 45% were already hearing from friends and family that it was a must-see — and another 45% say they’re ready for a sequel. Eighty-one percent plan on telling others to see it in theaters, not wait for streaming.
Premium Screens Did the Heavy Lifting
The film was shot with IMAX 70MM cameras, making it the first since Oppenheimer to do so. Nearly 47% of Sinners’ weekend haul came from premium formats: IMAX, Dolby, PLFs, motion seats. AMC Lincoln Square in NYC topped out with $114K. Saturday night’s 7:45 PM IMAX show at Universal CityWalk? Sold out. Tomorrow night? Nearly there too.
Coogler leaned into that rollout, hosting early IMAX screenings for tastemakers like Adele, Jay-Z, The Weeknd, LeBron, and Snoop. He also dropped a viral explainer on aspect ratios — the kind of hands-on push that builds real momentum.
Social Reach Was Massive — And Authentic
Sinners clocked a social reach of 222.5 million across platforms, per RelishMix. That’s higher than Us (123M), Nope (180M), and Candyman (144M). Stars Michael B. Jordan and Hailee Steinfeld both have 24M+ followers and were engaged across platforms.
And audiences weren’t just reacting — they were praising the restraint. Fans appreciated how the trailer didn’t give away the full plot, and how the film leaned into mystery and tone over cheap reveals. More than a few viewers called Coogler and Jordan this generation’s Burton and Depp — without the wigs.
Let’s Talk Numbers, Budgets, and Long-Term Play
At $90M+ before P&A, Sinners is definitely one of the more expensive original horror movies ever made. But Warner Bros. bet on Coogler’s vision and Jordan’s star power — and that bet is already proving to have legs.
Coogler also secured a first-dollar gross deal, meaning he earns a percentage from the very first ticket sold — a rarity typically reserved for the likes of Nolan and Tarantino. Sources say he even pushed his own back-end profit to help cover any overages.
The break-even? Reportedly around $170M global, but thanks to downstream plays (PVOD, Max, Prime Video, Netflix), the path to profit looks solid.
A Cast That Matches the Ambition
Alongside Jordan, Sinners features a knockout ensemble:
Delroy Lindo, Jayme Lawson, Wunmi Mosaku, Jack O’Connell, Hailee Steinfeld, Omar Benson Miller, Li Jun Li, Lola Kirke, Emonie Ellison, Ja’Quan Monroe-Henderson, Yao, Miles Caton, Peter Dreimanis, and Christian Robinson.
The story, set in Jim Crow-era Mississippi, follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both played by Jordan) returning home only to face a supernatural evil rooted in legacy, trauma, and ancestral reckoning. It’s layered. Lyrical. And very, very Black.
Weekend Box Office Rundown (Estimates)
- Sinners – $45M (3,308 theaters)
- A Minecraft Movie – $41M (4,032 theaters)
- King of Kings – $17.5M
- The Amateur – $7.5M
- Warfare – $4.65M
- Drop – $3.45M
- Colorful Stage: The Movie – $2.8M
- Pride & Prejudice (Re-release) – $2.6M
- The Chosen: Last Supper Pt. 3 – $1.7M
- Snow White – $1.35M
Final Word
In a marketplace still trying to recalibrate after strikes, streaming, and shifting audience habits, Sinners proves that original films — rooted in vision, legacy, and craft — can still pull numbers. And not just survive… lead.
One thing’s clear: Coogler and Jordan didn’t just make a film — they made a moment.