Ryan Coogler’s supernatural horror film “Sinners” drove a stake through weekend competition, claiming No. 1 at the US box office with $45.6 million in domestic ticket sales from April 18–20. The Sinners box office performance exceeded forecasts by more than 30%, unseating Warner Bros.’ family‑adventure “A Minecraft Movie,” which grossed $41.3 million in its third weekend.
Weekend Box Office Performance
“Sinners” opened to $45.6 million, well above expectations of roughly $35 million. Its weekend haul pushed the film’s cumulative domestic total to nearly $346 million. In comparison, “A Minecraft Movie” added $41.3 million to bring its three‑week domestic gross to about $345 million.
Star Power and Creative Team
Analyst Shawn Robbins of Fandango noted that Coogler’s collaboration with Michael B. Jordan—their fourth—helped draw audiences. He said the filmmakers’ reputation, combined with “a fresh, original take on the vampire genre,” helped bring out moviegoers.”
Critical Acclaim
“Sinners” also enjoyed outstanding reviews, boasting a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 84 Metacritic score—the seventh highest of 2025. Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst at Comscore, observed, “This may be one of the best‑reviewed No. 1 films ever, especially for the horror genre.”
Horror Genre Outlook
The film’s success signals a renewed strength for horror, which was once a $1 billion category in 2017, with films like “It” and “Get Out,” and nearly $950 million in 2024. Paul Dergarabedian added that low budgets and high returns make horror “of particular interest to studios and filmmakers.” Universal Pictures plans to release sequels “M3GAN 2.0” in June and “The Black Phone 2” in October.
Broader Box Office Trends
Overall domestic box office revenues are up 5.3% year‑to‑date versus 2024, despite a 13% dip at the start of “A Minecraft Movie.” FranchiseRe analyst David A. Gross predicts “A Minecraft Movie” will hit $1 billion worldwide, calling it “mainstream action‑adventure entertainment at its best.”
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