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Box Office: Sinners could hit USD 250M domestically, but THESE post-covid challenges loom large
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, starring Michael B. Jordan, has become a box-office sensation, grossing USD 93 million globally and matching Get Out's success, setting new benchmarks for horror films.
After a week in theaters, it’s been established that Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, starring Michael B. Jordan, is a box-office phenomenon. The R-rated supernatural horror has grossed USD 93 million globally, with its second Friday nearly matching its opening day. Industry projections are rapidly increasing. The film is now being likened not to Jordan Peele’s Nope but to his genre-defining Get Out, and that’s no small comparison.
Released in February 2017, Get Out opened to USD 33.4 million and saw a strong 15.4 percent drop to USD 28.2 million in its second weekend. It went on to earn an impressive USD 176 million domestically. That’s a 5.3 times multiplier, rarely heard of for a horror title, let alone an R-rated one. Now, Sinners is showing a similar trajectory.
Following its April 18 release, Sinners posted a rare A CinemaScore, the first ever for an R-rated horror film, and the word of mouth is fueling momentum. With pre-sales for its current weekend looking robust and its second Friday rivaling the original Friday gross, all signs point to a second weekend drop in the mid-teens, mirroring Get Out’s stunning hold.
Should Sinners repeat that kind of multiplier, a USD 250 million domestic run could be within reach, making it not only one of the highest-grossing horror films post-COVID but also one of the most profitable. Coogler’s haunting period tale, set in the 1932 Mississippi Delta, has captivated audiences with its blend of gothic horror with historical undertones.
Still, box office watchers caution that times have changed since Get Out’s pre-COVID era. Theatrical windows are shorter, with Warner Bros. often pushing films to digital platforms quickly. This limits the longevity a word-of-mouth-driven film like Sinners might have enjoyed in 2017. Exhibitors are also quicker to move on, reallocating screens faster than before.
Even so, Sinners is already a massive box-office event of the year. Premiering on April 3 and opening wide on the aforementioned date, the film has drawn critical acclaim for Coogler’s direction and Ludwig Göransson’s atmospheric score. With strong legs, rave reviews, and mounting public interest, Sinners could redefine what an original horror film can achieve in a post-pandemic theatrical landscape.
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