This past weekend was another strong one for Sinners, the vampire movie written and directed by Ryan Coogler (Black Panther). After racking up a solid $48 million at the domestic box office for its Easter opening weekend, Sinners pulled in another $45 million in its second weekend in theaters. That's only a 6% drop off in ticket sales — something which is all but unheard of at the movies, especially in the horror genre. The last movie which opened above $40 million to have that small of a drop off in its second week was James Cameron's Avatar back in 2009. Sinners has not only matched that record set by Avatar, it's also the first R-rated film to ever see such a low second week drop at the box office.
As Entertainment Weekly explains, Hollywood usually plans on large second week drop-off for movies; even a 50% drop is considered a win. For example, A Minecraft Movie had that exact drop of 50%, going from around $157 million in its opening weekend to $80.6 million in its second. A Minecraft Movie is the most profitable movie of the year at the domestic box office, and there's no doubt studios are still pleased with the money it's bringing in.
Sinners is a very different and even more encouraging story. According to Hindustan Times, senior Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian calls Sinners' box office performance "an absolute phenomenon."
“You can buy a great opening weekend with marketing, but if a movie doesn’t have the goods, it’ll drop off," Dergarabedian said. “There's no greater barometer of success than a second weekend hold like this."
Sinners deserves the hype
Positive word of mouth has been a huge driver for Sinners; I was one of the many people who came out to see it in its second weekend, and was shocked to find the showing I went to in a small rural town almost completely sold out. Sinners is an original movie with a strong artistic vision, and it's clearly resonating with people.
It stars Michael B. Jordan as twins Smoke and Stack, along with an ensemble cast including Miles Caton, Wunmi Mosaku, Hailee Steinfeld, Li Jun Li, Omar Benson Miller, Jayme Lawson, and Delroy Lindo. Calling Sinners just a vampire movie is a bit of a disservice. It's a period piece set in the Jim Crow south, where twins Smoke and Stack return home after years away working with the gangster Al Capone in Chicago to start up their own juke joint, catering to the Black community of the area at a time when Ku Klux Klan violence is rife in the region; it's a rumination on art and Black ownership, and who is allowed to have freedom and power; and yes, it is a vampire movie, with some exceptional jump scares and a great plot filled with twists and turns.
Interestingly, Sinners drew some pretty baffling headlines about its opening weekend; despite its impressive $48 million domestic haul, outlets like Variety wondered if it could possibly make back its $90 million budget. There is a larger meta-conversation around ownership happening behind-the-scenes with this film as well, as Coogler secured a rare deal where the rights for the film revert fully to him after 25 years, which studios are concerned could encourage other creators to ask for the same. I imagine that had something to do with those baffling headlines I mentioned.
Suffice it to say, at this point in its run Sinners' success is undeniable. It's brought in over $161 million globally, so it has already earned back nearly twice its budget. And with the kind of buzz it's generating, it seems a safe bet that it's still got plenty more gas in the tank.
Revenge of the Sith on track to become highest grossing Star Wars re-release
While Sinners was the winner of the box office this weekend, another genre movie is also aiming to set a new record. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith re-released in theaters for a limited run to celebrate its 20th anniversary. It beat out every movie aside from Sinners at the domestic box office, securing the number two spot with an estimated $25.2 million in ticket sales. Add in another $17 million globally, and Revenge of the Sith is currently tracking to be the highest grossing Star Wars re-release.
Whether you want to hang out with the Sith or vampires, it's a great time to head to the movies to get your genre film fix.
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h/t Variety