Sinners’ big budget makes it a risk for Warner Bros., but it could end up being a box office success. The story of Sinners follows twin brothers who return to their hometown looking for a fresh start, but a greater evil has started to infect the town. The upcoming vampire film is directed by Ryan Coogler, who has previously helmed critically acclaimed movies like Fruitvale Station, Creed, and Black Panther. After spending several years working within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sinners is a highly anticipated original film directed by Coogler.
Ahead of the movie’s release, Sinners’ 100% Rotten Tomatoes score has made it the highest-rated movie of Coogler’s career. This score could still change, but early reviews for Sinners suggest that it will not drop that much. This means that it could not only be the most acclaimed film of Coogler’s career, but also Michael B. Jordan’s, who leads the cast of Sinners. In addition to Jordan, the horror movie also stars Hailee Steinfeld and Jack O’Connell. Based on early reviews, Sinners could be one of the best movies of the year, but will it be a box office success?
Sinners’ Budget Is Reportedly $90 Million
Sinners Had A Mᴀssive Budget
According to Variety, Sinners had a high budget of $90 million. This is a much bigger budget than most horror movies receive, which means that Sinners will have to make a lot of money at the box office to be profitable. Historically, movies within the horror genre have had lower budgets. However, it is clear that Coogler wanted to make horror film with a bigger scope, which required a larger budget. Luckily, Warner Bros. was willing to give him a lot of money to make his vision a reality.
Sinners is just one of several recent and upcoming movies from auteur directors that Warner Bros. has invested a significant amount of money into. Just last month, Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17, which had a budget of $120 million, was released. Unfortunately, Mickey 17 has only made $130 million at the worldwide box office (via Box Office Mojo), losing a lot of money for Warner Bros. Hopefully Sinners will earn much more than the science fiction film, and will end up being a success for the studio.
Sinners’ Opening Weekend Box Office Projections
Sinners Is Opening On Easter Weekend
In the same report, Variety claimed that Sinners is projected to make around $40 million across its opening weekend. This would be an impressive opening for the horror movie, and suggests that it could indeed be a box office success for Warner Bros. In comparison, the aforementioned Mickey 17 made just $19 million in its opening weekend. Therefore, Sinners could double the opening weekend haul of Warner Bros.’ last major investment.
However, ᴅᴇᴀᴅline reported that some tracking services project that Sinners will make closer to $30 million during its opening weekend. It is worth noting that this was before the Sinners’ perfect Rotten Tomatoes score was revealed. Therefore, it’s possible that Sinners’ impressive reviews will encourage more people to watch the movie in theaters. This would be ideal, since Sinners is releasing in multiple formats and Coogler wants his film to be experienced on the biggest screen possible.
Sinners Reportedly Needs To Make Over $185 Million To Be A Box Office Success
Sinners Could Be A Very Successful Horror Movie
Usually, a movie needs to make about two and a half times its budget to be considered profitable. In their report, Variety claimed that Sinners will have to make at least $185 million to be considered a box office success, which is just over double its budget. Sinners’ overwhelmingly positive early reviews suggest that it could make this much at the box office, especially if it manages to gross close to $40 million in its opening weekend.
Since Sinners is an original film and not part of an existing IP, it may struggle more at the box office.
Warner Bros. is definitely hoping that people have more time on Easter weekend to watch Sinners in theaters. This weekend has been very profitable for the studio in previous years. For example, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire made $80 million during its Easter opening weekend last year. However, since Sinners is an original film and not part of an existing IP, it may struggle more at the box office. Time will tell whether Sinners, the critically acclaimed new movie from Coogler, will turn out to be a successful investment for Warner Bros.
Sources: Variety, ᴅᴇᴀᴅline
