Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan’s ‘Sinners’ Opens at No. 1 With $48 Million, Outpacing Expectations

Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan have proven their box office power once again. Their new film Sinners, an R-rated original vampire thriller set in the 1930s, claimed the top spot at the domestic box office with $48 million over its opening weekend — surpassing early estimates and solidifying itself as the biggest debut for an original film since Us in 2019.

Playing twin brothers Smoke and Stack, Jordan leads a blood-soaked tale that begins as a story of homecoming in the rural South before descending into supernatural chaos. When the twins open a juke joint, they unknowingly attract a terrifying breed of predators. Audiences responded enthusiastically: the film scored an ultra-rare “A” CinemaScore for a horror release, and ticket buyers praised both the story and its striking visual style.

Warner Bros. gave Sinners a substantial $90 million production budget, making its strong debut essential. While profitability is still uncertain given the high costs, early word of mouth — bolstered by near-unanimous critical praise — points toward a long, healthy theatrical run. The film also opened with $15.4 million internationally, bringing its global total to $63.5 million.

The opening weekend demographic breakdown showed wide appeal: 40% of domestic ticket buyers were Black audiences, followed by 35% white, 18% Hispanic, and 5% Asian. Premium formats were a major driver, with 45% of revenue coming from Dolby, 4DX, and Imax screens — Imax alone accounted for 20% of all sales, helped by the film being shot with their cameras.

Coogler and Jordan’s ability to draw audiences for an original story — not a sequel or reboot — places them in rare company. The studio was so confident in the pair that it agreed to a deal granting Coogler eventual ownership of the film’s rights, an arrangement virtually unheard of for directors outside the Spielberg tier.

Meanwhile, A Minecraft Movie — projected to hold the top spot for a third straight week — landed in second place with a still-impressive $41.3 million, pushing its domestic total to $344 million and its global gross to over $720 million, making it the year’s biggest box office success to date.

Rounding out the top five were The King of Kings with $17 million in its second weekend, Disney’s The Amateur with $6.8 million, and A24’s Warfare with $4.8 million. Elsewhere, the indie film The Wedding Banquet opened softly with under $1 million, despite strong reviews.

After weeks of underwhelming numbers, Sinners marks a clear turning point. Domestic box office earnings are now 5% ahead of last year — a jump from the 11% deficit just weeks ago. With major titles like Thunderbolts, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, and Lilo & Stitch still to come, the summer movie season is beginning to show signs of real momentum.