Sinners hit movie theaters on April 18, 2025. This genre-bending movie effortlessly weaves together horror, crime, action, and original music, resulting in one of the most unique movies of the last decade. Directed by Oscar-nominee Ryan Coogler (Creed, Black Panther), this movie could easily see him on way his to more nominations come the 2026 Academy Awards.
Not only has Sinners captured the attention of audiences all around the world, it has been praised by critics, with barely any negative reviews to date. Michael B. Jordan has solidified his status as a leading man, and supporting actors like Jack O’Connell and Delroy Lindo have been universally lauded for their magnetic performances. So, with Sinners still making a stomp in movie theaters, let’s break down its incredible milestones that just seem to keep on coming and coming.
Breaking Down the Resounding Box Office Success of Sinners
Horror movies typically fare well at the box office, however, Sinners is much more than just a simple horror film. While moments of terror and bloodshed are there, Ryan Coogler expertly takes the film through a dynamic journey, starting off as a character-driven crime drama, and eventually swaying into sheer mayhem, panic and dread, all the while encasing the entire movie in a hypnotic musical overlay. Opening to heaps of praise from critics, it’s clear that this helped the movie prosper in its opening weekend.
Select theaters screened previews of Sinners on Thursday night before the film’s domestic release on Friday, April 18, 2025. During previews, Sinners earned $4.7 million, but its first weekend handily exceeded all expectations. Sinners premiered alongside A Minecraft Movie, which was enjoying its third weekend at the time, and Coogler’s flick outperformed the Jack Black-led family movie, which had been monopolising the box office. During its first weekend of release, Sinners made an astounding $48 million, giving it the most successful debut weekend of any original film in the last decade.
As of writing, as Sinners continues performing exceptionally at the box office, it has hit another major milestone. According to The Numbers, Coogler’s epic project has made $240 million globally, securing its spot among a number of classic horror films. Between Alien: Covenant and Resident Evil: Retribution, it ranks as the 27th highest-grossing horror film. This placement means the film’s international release has eclipsed legendary vampire flicks Interview With the Vampire and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Sinners was made on a budget of $90 million, meaning it has certainly prospered and is well and truly in profit.
Exploring the Critical Acclaim of This Epic Vampire Flick
Sinners benefited from serious word of mouth ahead of its release when Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee firmly put his stamp of approval on it. After being invited to a special pre-release screening, Lee took to Instagram, writing: “I Just Had The Greatest Experience Of Watching A Film In Years.” He then praised the film’s performances, cinematography, production design, costume design, original score, songs, and visual effects, kicking the movie off nicely.
Upon release, Sinners then debuted with a perfect 100% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it then dipped down to 99% when the 99th review from Jason Escamilla of EskimoTV wasn’t so glaring. Escamilla praised the film’s ending, but stated that the “slow buildup left me restless.” However, this “rotten” review was few and far between. As it stands, Sinners is Certified Fresh with a Tomatometer (critics) of 97%, and Certified Hot with a 97% Popcornmeter (audience reviews). It has also generated some early Oscar buzz.
What’s more, Sinners became the first movie of 2025 to make it onto IMDb’s prestigious top 250 movies list. By April 30, it was at #250 before moving up a few steps. However, it has since been knocked off the list. Yet, as more and more eyes land on the film, it could easily return soon. Ryan Coogler chose to shoot the movie on film. Specifically, he utilized two large-format film systems: Ultra Panavision 70 and IMAX 15-perf, both of which use 65/70mm film stock. This means audiences got the chance to watch the film in IMAX. Following its overwhelming success and praise, it will now re-release in IMAX 70mm from May 15 to 21, 2025. So, it’s safe to say there will be more epic milestones to come soon.
Read Next: Top Five Characters Michael B. Jordan Has Played In Film Or Television
Follow Us
