How a $90M indie film beat Marvel, Disney: Highest-grossing original live-action in years out-earned Mission Impossible

Hindustan Times

11-06-2025

There is a common complaint from mainstream Hollywood that it does not make original films anymore. Everything is either a remake, a reboot, an adaptation, or a straight-up sequel. Then you have the ever-growing cinematic universes, where everything is connected. Original films are rare, and their success at the box office is even rarer. So, it is a 'stop press' moment when an original film, not backed by a major studio, beats heavyweights like Disney and Marvel at the ticket window.
Ryan Coogler showed his versatility in 2025 with the Gothic vampire film Sinners. Produced under his own banner of Proximity Media, Sinners starred Michael B Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, and Jack O'Connell in pivotal roles. The film, made on a $90-million budget, was snapped up for distribution by Warner Bros after an independent production. Ever since its release in April, Sinners has set the box office ablaze, minting $272 million in the domestic (North American) market. This makes Sinners the third-highest-grossing film in the US this year.
But more importantly, it is the highest-grossing original live-action film in the territory in 15 years. To reach this peak, Sinners beat films like Dunkirk ($188 million), Crazy Rich Asians ($174 million), Knives Out ($165 million), 1917 ($157 million), and Nope ($123 million). The last original live-action film to do better was Christopher Nolan's Inception, which grossed $292 million in 2010.
Sinners has not just topped the charts for original films, but also given several big-studio-backed IP films a run for their money too. In the North American market, Sinners' $272-million gross is higher than blockbusters like John Wick Chapter 4 ($187 million), Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire ($196 million), and Mufasa: The Lion King ($126 million). The film has even done better than Tom Cruise's latest - Mission Impossible The Final Recknoning - which earned $151 million domestically. Both the big Marvel releases of 2025 - Captain America: Brave New World ($200 million) and Thunderbolts ($187 million) also lag behind.
Sinners, however, has not done wonders overseas, which is par for the course for an independent film not backed by an IP. The film has earned under $85 million overseas for a worldwide gross of $357 million. It still puts it above the likes of Dunkirk and Tenet, but the Marvel films soar ahead because of their high overseas gross. Despite that, Sinners remains the sixth-highest-grossing Hollywood film of the year. And it achieved that on a budget of $90 million with no big studio support.