Vampire Horror Sinners Rocks The Box Office With $45 Million+ Opening Weekend
Update 4/20/25: "Sinners" has surged ahead of expectations after grossing $16.5 million domestically on Saturday. The film is now on track to claim the No. 1 spot at the box office with a $45.6 million debut. Its jump to the top is helped by "A Minecraft Movie" performing worse than expected on Saturday, bringing that film's projected weekend total down to $41.3 million, per Deadline.
The headline has been adjusted to reflect the latest numbers. Original article follows.
Great vampire movies don't come along all that often, which might be why the thirst for Ryan Coogler's rocking all-night bloodbath is so strong. Per the Hollywood Reporter, "Sinners" scored $19.2 million at the box office on its opening day (including previews), putting it on track for a $40-42 million opening weekend. That's at the top end of predictions, with the potential to climb even higher before the weekend is done.
"A Minecraft Movie" is expected to hold on to its No. 1 spot this weekend with a projected domestic total of $45 million, but the two movies aren't really in direct competition. In fact, as an R-rated horror movie, "Sinners" is a neat bit of counter-programming opposite the family-oriented video game adaptation. It also has word of mouth on its side, landing an A CinemaScore from opening day audience polling (rare for the horror genre) and a near-perfect 98% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. (Read /Film's review here.)
"Sinners" stars Michael B. Jordan in dual roles as the "Smokestack Twins" — Smoke and Stack — who have returned to the Mississippi Delta following a stint as gangsters in Chicago. Wanting to set up their own hometown enterprise, they buy an old sawmill with plans to turn it into a juke joint. They throw together an epic launch night with booze, gambling, and blues, but things take a dark turn when the music of Sammie "Preacher Boy" Moore (Miles Caton) lures ancient vampire Remmick (Jack O'Connell) and his gang to the party.
Sinners scores the biggest debut for an original movie in years
It's an unfortunate truth of the box office that original movies are a tough sell, while franchises, reboots, and sequels are a far safer bet. Case in point: the projected $40 million+ opening weekend for "Sinners" will mark the decade's biggest debut for an original movie so far. And this wasn't a small-stakes bet. The $100 million budget is huge for the horror genre, and a report by Vulture revealed that writer-director Ryan Coogler's deal with Warner Bros. Pictures included final cut, first-dollar gross, and ownership of the movie for 25 years.
Coogler has the track record to back up those demands, though, especially when paired with star Michael B. Jordan. The two first gained critical acclaim (and won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance) with based-on-a-true-story drama "Fruitvale Station" and then successfully revived the "Rocky" franchise with "Creed," launching a whole new trilogy based around Jordan's character. After "Creed" Coogler directed Marvel's "Black Panther" (also starring Jordan) and its sequel "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," which together grossed more than $2 billion at the box office.
The director hasn't let that momentum go to waste. As a big-budget, R-rated horror movie not based on any existing IP, "Sinners" was a huge gamble for Warner Bros. But if it beats the odds and becomes a box office hit, it'll cement Coogler as one of the hottest talents in Hollywood.