Ryan Coogler’s R-rated vampire horror movieSinnerstopped the box office in its opening weekend in theaters andreceived widespread acclaim. The biggest sin of all appeared to be the critical headlines that emerged in its wake. One such example is a recent report from Variety claiming that even with the film’s $61 million global debut, “profitability remains a ways away.” The outlet reiterated the statement in an X/Twitter post that has since gone viral after garnering backlash from social media users quizzing the overly critical take. Among them was actor-directorBen Stiller.
Stiller shared the scathing statement from Variety regarding the box office performance of the supernatural thriller starring Michael B. Jordan and Hailee Steinfeld, and hit back in a post that has since received over 331K likes (seen below): “In what universe does a 60 million dollar opening for an original studio movie warrant this headline?” A lot of people came out in defense ofSinnersin the comments beneath the post, with one person writing: “60 mill seems like a killer opening weekend,” to which Stiller replied and further stressed, “It is.”
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The report that came under fire highlighted thatSinnershad “a great result” in its opening weekend at the box office, having outperformed expectations with a three-day cume of $63.5 million worldwide, but suggested the movie still had a way to go to turn a profit. The outletdoubled down in another article, explaining, “The studio spent $90 million to produce the film and roughly $50 million to $60 million on global marketing expenses,” but, according to sources, “Sinnersneeds to gross around $200 million to $225 million globally to break-even theatrically,” considering theater owners also take a percentage of the ticket sales.
Sinnersreceivedoverwhelmingly positive reviews from criticsbefore it opened wide in theaters, with many lauding the horror outing as one of the best big-screen offerings of the year so far. The buzz seemed to pique the interest of cinemagoers, who turned out in droves to see Coogler’s big swing at a blood-soaked and blues-drenched vampire thriller. The movie revolves around bootlegging brothers, Smoke and Stack (both played by Jordan), who return to their hometown and discover that a supernatural evil has taken root in their absence.
It took a huge bite out of the box office in its first weekend in theaters, winning the Easter race by earning the coveted No. 1 spot on the domestic charts, taking a total of $48 million from theaters in the U.S. and Canada.Sinnersdethroned fellow Warner Bros. blockbusterA Minecraft Movie, which held onto the top position for two consecutive weeks, while also securing the highest-grossing opening for an original film released so far this decade, beating out the $44 million that Jordan Peele’sNopepulled in when it opened in July 2022.
Sinnersalsoachieved the highest-grossing opening weekendfor an original movie since Peele’s 2019 horror movieUs, as well as landing in the Top 10 for its domestic performance as an R-rated horror film, and earning the ninth-best debut in U.S. and Canada for an Easter weekend release, so there is no denying that it has had a successful start at the box office. The positive word of mouth from these screenings will likely draw in more audiences over the coming weeks and into the summer movie season, while secondary profits generated from its digital and physical media sales will also help to resurrect studio funds as time moves on.
Sources:Variety,X/Twitter
