Why The Sinners Credits Include A 'Special Thanks' To Christopher Nolan

It's somewhat rare for a horror movie to be treated like a must-see cinematic event on the level of an "Avengers" film. We're talking about the likes of 2017's "It" and Jordan Peele's "Us," i.e. the biggest of big that the genre has to offer. Ryan Coogler, the filmmaker behind "Black Panther" and "Creed," has now managed to position his new vampire movie "Sinners" as one of these blockbuster-level cinematic events, and with good reason. Indeed, "Sinners" is one of the most acclaimed films of 2025 overall thus far.

Given the sheer impact that "Sinners" has had, particularly after its blockbuster box office debut, it perhaps seems fitting that the king of the modern blockbuster, Christopher Nolan, was given a "special thanks" shout-out in the movie's credits. But why, exactly, did Coogler thank the "Dark Knight" and "Oppenheimer" director? That's a good question. Put simply, Nolan helped Coogler get his film ready for the biggest stage that cinema has to offer.

At a trailer event for "Sinners" earlier this year, Coogler explained that Nolan and his wife Emma Thomas, who also serves as Nolan's producing partner, offered him advice when it came to working with premium formats, particularly IMAX (via ComicBook.com). Here's what Coogler had to say about it at the time:

"I got advice from Christopher Nolan and [Nolan's wife and producing partner] Emma Thomas, who are masters of the form. It was our first time working with large-format photography. We were doing something that hasn't been done before, combining Ultra Panavision, which is 2.76:1, very wide, with the full frame IMAX film."

Nolan has more than a little experience with IMAX. Not only is he one of the most acclaimed filmmakers working today, but he's also a big champion of premium formats. He even managed to get a new type of IMAX film made for "Oppenheimer." As such, getting to pick his brain was surely more than a little helpful for Coogler in this instance.

Coogler shot "Sinners" in partnership with IMAX, which is why Warner Bros. has several different premium format versions of it rolling out in theaters all over the world. IMAX is the biggest name in premium theatrical experiences but it's not the only one, with Dolby Cinema becoming increasingly popular in recent years as well, for example. In any event, shooting on IMAX cameras for premium formats is a different beast, and Nolan was evidently a big help to Coogler in that respect.

Granted, not every director is lucky enough to get to bend Nolan's ear. That being the case, Coogler acknowledged that by thanking him in his movie's credits. It most certainly wasn't something he needed to do, but it's a nice touch and a touching show of respect for the Oscar-winner.

"The film was shot with two different aspect ratios, and this is the first time ever that a film has been released combining these two, so it was a pretty complicated process to shoot," as Coogler noted in a Kodak video that had the filmmaker explaining different aspect ratios to audiences. He also remarked that he and his collaborators made "Sinners" with IMAX in mind, and the film certainly makes it worth it for those who have the chance to see it that way:

"This film was done in partnership with IMAX and it's an awesome way to see the film, definitely one of the intended ways to see the film for us when we were setting up every shot."

"Sinners" is in theaters now.