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Easter is for Sinners: Ryan Coogler's vampire flick dethrones Minecraft, gets a record CinemaScore, and outperforms a Jordan Peele opening at the box office

Nosferat-who? The Black Panther director's first completely original film has accomplished at least one thing a horror movie never has

Image credit: Warner Bros.

Despite the title, Ryan Coogler's Sinners must be doing something right.

As of this writing, the Michael B. Jordan-starring vampire screamer has only been in theaters one weekend, but already, it's making waves. Deadline reports that the movie has scared up a whopping $48M in its opening days, placing it at the #1 spot over Easter Weekend 2025. The outlet estimates a complete theatrical run could end up being in the neighborhood of between $178M and $250 domestically, based off of previous releases in a similar vein.

But even if the film doesn't reach those heights, there's already plenty for it to be proud of, just days after its debut.

Firstly, there's the fact that it dethroned one of the biggest theatrical releases this year - that is, A Minecraft Movie. Still the most financially successful film of the year, Minecraft had been the #1 movie in America since its April 4 release until Coogler's horror movie hit theaters (I suppose Minecraft didn't see this kind of creeper coming). Of course, since both films are produced by the same company, the real winner there is Warner Bros.

(Side question - does this bode well for the summer's Superman release?)

Moving beyond the box office numbers for a second, Deadline also points out that the period horror has debuted with an A from CinemaScore. If you're familiar with the site at all, you know that an A is a rare feat -in fact, Sinners becomes the first horror movie in CinemaScore's nearly 50 years of existence to snag that honor. Take that, Ari Aster!

(Or don't, I love you.)

And while we're on the subject of impressive accomplishments in cinema's best genre, let's talk for a moment about Sinners most surprising win - that is, outshining a Jordan Peele picture. Probably considered the most popular horror filmmaker of modern cinema, Peele's three fright films have all done remarkably well with both critics and box office numbers. So when a horror movie from a different director tops one of Peele's movies, it's worth noting - which is exactly what happened when Sinners' opening haul lapped that of 2022's Nope.

All in all, it's fantastic news for not just fans of the horror genre, but for everyone rooting for Ryan Coogler as a director. Sure, it also probably means that the timeline on Black Panther 3 has been pushed back... but we humbly invite you to join us in speculating about Coogler's X-Files relaunch in the meantime.

Sinners is in theaters now.


In the immortal words of Danny Elfman, "Life's no fun without a good scare." We couldn't agree more, which is why we've cobbled together a couple pieces to send a chill up your spine. Join Popverse as we explore:

And much gore. Er, more. Much more.

 

Grant DeArmitt

Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. As Popverse's Staff Writer, he criss-crosses the pop culture landscape bringing you the news and opinions about the big things (and the next big things). In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.

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