Sinners has crossed a potentially final box office milestone just ahead of its upcoming release on digital platforms. Directed by Ryan Coogler, the vampire horror film hit theaters on April 17. Michael B. Jordan leads the Sinners cast as twin brothers Smoke and Stack, two gangsters who, upon opening up a juke joint in their Mississippi Delta hometown, find themselves facing off against a horde of vampires. The film has earned rave reviews and has been a major box office hit, and it’s now poised to release on digital on June 3.
According to new box office data from The Numbers, Sinners has now grossed $258.7 million domestically and $80.1 million internationally for a worldwide total of $338.8 million. This domestic figure puts the vampire film in Warner Bros.’ top-30 highest-grossing movies ever in North America, where it occupies 28th place, as of writing. In the top 30 domestic movies list, the film beats both The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug ($258.2M) and The Lego Movie ($258.4M), but falls just shy of other movies like Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ($263.6M), Gravity ($274.1M), and The Hangover ($277.3M).
Barbie (2023) occupies the number one position on WB’s top 30 list with a domestic box office total of $636.8 million.
Sinners‘ $338.8 million worldwide total also makes it the eighth highest-grossing horror movie of all time. Coogler’s film recently stole the spot from A Quiet Place (2018), which grossed $338.8 million.
What This Means For Sinners
The Film’s Budget & Breakeven Point Explained
Prior to Sinners‘ release in theaters, much was being made of the film’s hefty price tag. The Coogler movie was made on an estimated budget of $90 million, a large sum for an original horror movie. A report from Puck claimed the film’s budget was actually closer to $105 million. Using the traditional Hollywood rule-of-thumb for both of these figures, the movie would be looking at a break-even point of between $225 million and $262 million. Prior to release, both of these seemed like they would be a challenge to achieve.
Sinners reviews have been glowing and the response from audiences has been stellar. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film enjoys a critics’ score of 97% and a Popcornmeter score of 96%, and positive word-of-mouth has been a major factor in the film’s box office success. With a digital release date now just around the corner, Sinners may not be able to reach 27th place on the WB top 30 list, but the movie has undoubtedly been a success and has proven that there is a demand for original movies.
Our Take On Sinners’ Latest Box Office Milestone
The Movie’s Success Is A Promising Sign
Sinners puts a fresh spin on the vampire genre, incorporating Blues music into the story in a truly novel way. Jordan’s costar, Miles Caton, makes his acting debut in the film and is truly stunning in the role of Sammie Moore. Other standout performances from Hailee Steinfeld, Delroy Lindo, and Jack O’Connell, among others, complement some inventive action and scares, making it no surprise that word-of-mouth has been so strong for Sinners.
In an age where the theatrical landscape is dominated by IP movies and sequels, Sinners is a refreshing outlier. Hopefully, the film’s success leads to more risk-taking at studios with original concepts from visionary filmmakers. If done right, audiences will clearly turn up.
Source: The Numbers
