NEW YORK (AP) — In the current film landscape, brand names tend to dominate box office revenues, overshadowing filmmakers and stars. However, Ryan Coogler's film Sinners, featuring twin Michael B. Jordans, defied this trend by debuting with an impressive $45.6 million in ticket sales across U.S. and Canadian theaters, as per studio estimates released on Sunday.
Sinners, a product of Warner Bros. that carried a production cost of approximately $90 million, represents a significant departure into original content while maintaining genre elements. Directed, written, and produced by Coogler, known for his successful films such as Creed and Black Panther, Sinners is set in 1932 and revolves around vampire-bootlegging brothers portrayed by Jordan, who establish a juke joint in their Mississippi hometown.
Following closely was A Minecraft Movie, which secured the second position with $41.3 million in its third week of release, marking it as the year’s biggest Hollywood hit. Warner Bros. managed to achieve a remarkable one-two punch at the box office, garnering both original, director-driven successes and adaptations of well-loved intellectual properties.
Co-produced with Legendary Pictures, A Minecraft Movie has accumulated a staggering $720.8 million globally within three weeks of its release. Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chairs Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca expressed their excitement at how both films resonated with audiences, underscoring that the studio represented an impressive 64% of the domestic box office during the Easter weekend.
In a rare move, Warner Bros. offered Coogler a share of gross ticket sales as well as ownership of the film after 25 years—a notable concession in the industry. Coogler and Jordan have a collaborative history dating back to the acclaimed film Fruitvale Station, making them one of Hollywood’s strongest director-actor partnerships. Critics have showered Sinners with praise, awarding it a 98% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences responded favorably with an impressive “A” CinemaScore.
On the international front, Sinners collected $15.4 million from 71 foreign markets, facing a more challenging environment overseas. Domestically, the film attracted a diverse crowd, with 38% of ticket buyers identifying as Black, 35% white, 18% Hispanic, and 5% Asian.
Before Sinners, Warner Bros. had faced challenges with dual roles in films like The Alto Knights and Mickey 17, which both failed at the box office. Nevertheless, the solid opening for Sinners is expected to maintain momentum due to strong word-of-mouth recommendations, solidifying Coogler's status as one of the few filmmakers whose name can draw large audiences—a distinction shared with the likes of Jordan Peele, whose film Nope had an opening of $44.3 million in 2022.
In the realm of animated features, Angel Studios’ The King of Kings, a portrayal of the life of Jesus aimed at Christian audiences, capitalized on the Easter weekend by collecting $17.2 million in its second week, closely rivaling its first-week total of $19.1 million, culminating in a domestic total of $45.3 million.
Bleecker Street’s The Wedding Banquet, directed by Andrew Ahn, also made its debut across 1,142 North American screens, earning $922,906 at the box office. This film, a modern reimagining of Ang Lee’s 1993 queer comedy, stars Lily Gladstone, Bowen Yang, Kelly Marie Tran, and newcomer Han Gi-chan.
As for the top ten movies at the domestic box office based on final figures, the estimated ticket sales for the weekend from Friday to Sunday across U.S. and Canadian theaters are as follows:
- Sinners, $45.6 million.
- A Minecraft Movie, $41.3 million.
- The King of Kings, $17.3 million.
- The Amateur, $7.2 million.
- Warfare, $4.9 million.
- Drop, $3.4 million.
- Colorful Stage: The Movie, $2.8 million.
- Pride & Prejudice (2005), $2.7 million.
- The Chosen: Last Supper, $1.8 million.
- Snow White, $1.2 million.
