Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” led by twin Michael B. Jordans, proved a bloody exception to modern movie rules, launching with $45.6 million in ticket sales in U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to studio estimates Sunday.
“Sinners,” that cost about $90 million to produce, was a bold gamble on originality – albeit with genre elements – and one of the most bankable American directors in Coogler. The “Creed” and “Black Panther” director wrote and produced “Sinners,” a 1932-set vampire movie about bootlegging brothers (both played by Jordan) who open a juke joint in their Mississippi hometown.
“A Minecraft Movie,” the year’s biggest Hollywood hit, followed close behind in second, collecting $41.3 million in its third week of release. That gave Warner Bros., after a handful of disappointments, an enviable one-two punch at the box office with one original, director-driven movie and one IP-based property.
“A Minecraft Movie,” on the other hand, has amassed $720.8 million worldwide in three weeks of release.
But all eyes were on the performance on “Sinners,” which Warner Bros. went to extreme lengths to secure. Abdy and De Luca agreed to give Coogler not just a cut of gross ticket sales but ownership of the film after 25 years – a virtually unheard-of concession.
But Coogler and Jordan, whose collaborations stretch back to “Fruitvale Station,” make up one of the industry’s most potent director-actor duos. Reviews (98% “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes) were stellar for “Sinners” and audiences, too, were enthralled by its supernatural twists. The film earned an “A” CinemaScore from moviegoers.
Overseas, “Sinners” faced a more uphill battle. It collected $15.4 million in 71 international markets. In India, the film earned an estimated Rs 2.18 crore net in its debut weekend. The film began its box office run earning an estimated Rs 60 lakh on Friday, Rs 80 lakh on Saturday and Rs 78 lakh on Sunday, according to early estimates on Sacnilk.com.
Prior to this film, dual roles had been a rough business for Hollywood studios with movies like “The Alto Knights” (a period gangster film featuring a doubled Robert De Niro) and “Mickey 17” (a sci-fi movie with two Robert Pattinsons) flopping at the box office.
The film’s global box office total now stands at an estimated $61 million.
But the strong opening for “Sinners,” which should be sustained in the coming weeks given the strong word of mouth, cements Coogler’s place as one of a handful of filmmakers whose name draws big audiences. Another would be Jordan Peele, whose “Nope” (2022) debuted similarly with $44.3 million.
“The King of Kings,” an animated tale of Jesus’ life aimed at Christian audiences, capitalised on the Easter weekend, grossing $17.2 million in its second week of release. That was nearly equal to its opening weekend ($19.1 million), and brought “The King of Kings” to a domestic total of $45.3 million. Meanwhile, “The Chosen: Last Supper” which also debuted the first two episodes of its new season in theatres, scored an estimated $1.8 million collection.
“The Wedding Banquet,” Andrew Ahn’s reimagining of Ang Lee’s 1993 queer comedy of errors, opened on 1,142 North American screens with $922,906 in ticket sales. “The Wedding Banquet,” a hit at the Sundance Film Festival, stars Lily Gladstone, Bowen Yang, Kelly Marie Tran and newcomer Han Gi-chan.
Top 10 movies by domestic box office With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
1. “Sinners,” $45.6 million.
2. “A Minecraft Movie,” $41.3 million.
3. “The King of Kings,” $17.3 million.
4. “The Amateur,” $7.2 million.
5. “Warfare,” $4.9 million.
6. “Drop,” $3.4 million.
7. “Colorful Stage: The Movie,” $2.8 million.
8. “Pride & Prejudice” (2005), $2.7 million.
9. “The Chosen: Last Supper,” $1.8 million.
10. “Snow White,” $1.2 million.