It’s wild to see how quiet the doubters have gotten.
Just days ago, some in the industry were stuck on whether Ryan Coogler’s Sinners would be “profitable” — a word that seemed to haunt the film’s narrative more than it ever had any business doing. But if you’ve been paying attention, you know: Sinners isn’t just surviving. It’s thriving — with audiences leading the way and receipts to back it up.
On Tuesday, April 22, Sinners pulled in $8.6 million at the domestic box office — outpacing its own Thursday night previews ($4.7 million) and growing on a weekday, when most movies fall off. That’s following Monday’s $7.8 million, and Wednesday’s $7.1 million, bringing the film to a six-day total of $71.5 million in the U.S. and Canada alone.
Let that sink in.
This isn’t just impressive — it’s historic. Sinners is already one of the top 100 highest-grossing horror films domestically, sliding past Insidious, Final Destination, and The Black Phone in under a week.
A Cultural Moment, Not Just a Movie
The real story here is us — the people. Because something about Sinners tapped into a collective energy we don’t always get to see with original, Black-led films. The word-of-mouth has been louder than the ads, the repeat viewings are intentional, and folks are flying across states to see this film in IMAX. It’s emotional, it’s joyful, and it’s personal. And that’s not common — not even for studio-backed blockbusters.
READ: ‘Sinners’ Hits No. 1 With $48M Opening — Global Total Climbs to $63.5M [UPDATED]
With an A CinemaScore (extremely rare for horror), positive reviews across the board, and no major IMAX competition for the next few weeks, Sinners is built for longevity. Coogler’s been clear about wanting to redefine what a “blockbuster” looks like — and so far, he’s doing just that.
Let’s Talk Multiples
Industry folks love to calculate “multiples” — how much a film can earn beyond its opening weekend. With a $48 million debut and another $23.5 million collected across weekdays, Sinners is showing legs, not just hype.
If the current pace holds, Sinners could cross $100 million domestically by the end of this weekend (April 28), and hit $120M by early May. Globally, $200M is within reach by mid-May — a massive win for an original horror film with no IP ties, just vision, craft, and audience backing.
That means it’s well on its way to covering its $90 million budget, especially as international numbers start to roll in. Even conservative projections for weekend two (a 50-60% drop) still point to a solid $20M+ second frame — strong for any genre, but especially horror.
Coogler’s Vision, Our Victory
In a heartfelt letter to supporters, Coogler wrote (FULL LETTER HERE):
“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.”
The timing of that message couldn’t be more spot-on. Because with every ticket sold, Sinners is doing exactly that — expanding the vision of what’s possible when storytelling, culture, and community collide.
Stay locked in. The run’s just getting started.