It was a big weekend for The Cooglers!
When Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan team up, history tends to follow—and their latest collaboration is no exception. Sinners, a bold, genre-blending vampire drama set in the 1930s South, just topped the Easter weekend box office, earning a staggering $45.6 million domestically, more than $60 million globally, and rewriting what’s possible for original films along the way.
With this opening, Sinners now holds the title for the biggest debut for an original movie since Jordan Peele’s Us hit theaters in 2019, Black Enterprise reports. Not only did the film outpace industry projections, it dethroned the massively hyped Minecraft Movie, proving once again that fresh storytelling—especially from Black creatives—can lead the pack in a landscape often dominated by reboots and sequels.
Directed and produced by Ryan and his wife Zinzi Coogler, the film stars Jordan in a mesmerizing dual role as twin brothers returning to their hometown of Mississippi. Inspired by Coogler’s familial relationship with his uncle and his deep love of blues music, Sinners is more than a horror film; it explores historical themes of race, identity, politics, and religion, all set in the Jim Crow South. Supporting Jordan is an otherworldly cast that overdelivers, featuring Delroy Lindo (Crooklyn), Wunmi Mosaku (Lovecraft Country), Omar Benson Miller (Ballers), Jayme Lawson (The Woman King), and breakout star Miles Caton, who shines as a young “Preacher Boy Sammie.”
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Coogler described it as “genre-fluid”—a cinematic love letter that dances between thriller, supernatural suspense, and period drama, Deadline reports. And audiences responded accordingly: the film earned a rare “A” CinemaScore, the first ever for a horror movie in the 47-year history of the rating system. To put that in perspective, even critical darlings like Get Out and A Quiet Place didn’t crack that barrier.
The win is yet another chapter in the ongoing creative legacy between Coogler and Jordan, a partnership that began with 2013’s Fruitvale Station and grew into a franchise force with Creed and Black Panther. Now, Sinners is taking its place as a cultural moment, reminding us of the power that lies in original storytelling from voices that have historically been pushed to the margins.
Beyond the critical and commercial acclaim, the success of Sinners also sends a clear message to Hollywood: audiences are hungry for bold, new narratives—and they’ll show up for them. Coogler’s first-dollar gross deal, which secures him a portion of revenue before the film even breaks even, is a powerful signal of the value Black filmmakers bring not just creatively, but financially.
What makes Sinners even more special is the way it’s shifting expectations. It’s not just the biggest R-rated horror opening in years—it’s the kind of win that tells aspiring storytellers, especially young Black creatives, that there’s room for their brilliance at the top of the box office.
Once again, Coogler and Jordan didn’t just make a movie—they made a statement. And audiences across the country are here for it. If you haven’t seen Sinners yet, run – don’t walk- to the theater. 10/10…NO NOTES!
Cover photo: Ryan & Zinzi Coogler’s ‘Sinners’ Earns #1 Spot & Highest-Grossed Opening for Original Film Since Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’Photo credit: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images