‘Sinners' Surges Past ‘Minecraft' at Box Office With $45.6 Million Opening Weekend
After industry estimates had the third weekend of 'A Minecraft Movie' topping the critically acclaimed 'Sinners' at the Easter box office on Saturday morning, the two Warner Bros. films have swapped places atop the box office charts as Ryan Coogler's horror film is now estimated for a $45.6 million opening weekend.
Should this result hold, 'Sinners' will pass the $44.3 million opening of Jordan Peele's 2022 film 'Nope' for the highest opening of an original film since the pandemic. Not only is that highly likely, it wouldn't be surprising if the final weekend total for 'Sinners' is higher than this current estimate given that it is enjoying some of the most spectacular critical and audience buzz given to any film in recent memory.
It starts with a straight A from opening night audiences on CinemaScore, the first given to a horror film since James Cameron's 'Aliens' in 1986. It then continues with a 5/5 and 84% 'definite recommend' rating on PostTrak and unbelievable Rotten Tomatoes scores of 98% critics and 97% audience.
According to PostTrak, about three-fifths of tickets sold for 'Sinners' on Friday were walk-up sales, showing how quickly this incredibly positive word-of-mouth is spreading. As expected for a film from the director of 'Black Panther,' Black audiences are the top demographic at 49% on opening night followed by 27% white and 14% Latino, with extremely high scores across all demos.
This strong result isn't enough to get 'Sinners' past the break-even point yet, as it has a reported net $90 million budget before marketing costs. But all signs point to the film legging out extremely well, especially with another weekend of Imax and premium format support still ahead before the arrival of Marvel Studios' 'Thunderbolts.' Along with casual audiences who may heard about the film for the first time thanks to the post-release buzz, there is likely a section of Coogler's fanbase that still hasn't seen the film yet because they are waiting for a convenient time to see it on an Imax screen.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros.' other big hit, 'A Minecraft Movie,' is still setting the bar high as 2025's highest grossing film with an excellent $41.3 million third weekend, putting the film's domestic total at $345 million and its global total at $720 million as it is now a lock to cross the $1 billion mark worldwide. After a negative reception to its first trailer last year, the video game adaptation has completely turned things around with family audiences with its meme-driven buzz.
As 'Sinners' and 'Minecraft' have dragged the box office out of its deep March slump and account for 64% of this weekend's grosses, they mark a major victory for Warner Bros.' film chiefs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, who were facing murmurs in media reports that Warner Discovery CEO David Zaslav was considering replacing them.
'Sinners' in particular is a major victory for the two execs, as it is one of a series of original, auteur-driven films that De Luca and Abdy staked major money on in their efforts to rebuild Warner's image as a filmmaker-friendly studio following the shocking departure of Christopher Nolan to Universal prior to their arrival in 2021. As part of that effort, De Luca and Abdy agreed to extremely favorable terms for Coogler to bring 'Sinners' onto their slate, including returning the film's rights to the director after 25 years.
'As we continue to strive to bring an array of films to moviegoers, we are thrilled to see how Ryan Coogler's original movie 'Sinners,' and a movie based on the fan favorite 'Minecraft' game, have resonated with audiences in such a stellar way,' De Luca and Abdy said in a statement on Sunday. 'Movies have the power to transport us to worlds only seen on the big screen, and Warner Bros. Pictures remains committed to bringing singular in-theater experiences to audiences looking for bold movies, both original and those based on beloved existing properties.'
The big original gambles from De Luca and Abdy will continue in the year ahead, as Paul Thomas Anderson's big budget crime drama 'One Battle After Another' hits theaters in late September with a similar level of premium format support as 'Sinners,' followed by Maggie Gyllenhaal's stylized horror film 'The Bride!' in March 2026.
Warner Bros. isn't the only studio with reason to celebrate this Easter. Angel Studios' first animated release, 'The King of Kings,' is continuing its strong performance with $17.2 million in its second weekend and a 10-day total of $45.3 million.
Christian audiences have shown in recent weeks with the success of Fathom's 'The Chosen: Last Supper' that they have plenty of appetite for cinematic takes on the Gospel and have shown it again as this Mofac Animation production has dropped just 12% from its $19 million opening weekend.
'At Angel, our Angel Guild plays a crucial role in picking winners, and this film is a testament to that vision,' Angel Studios distribution chief Brandon Purdie said in a statement. ''The King of Kings' is an epic, emotional journey made for the big screen. Theaters are responding by making room, and audiences are flocking in droves, speaking loud and clear: they're here for stories that amplify light.'
Disney/20th Century's 'The Amateur' and A24's 'Warfare' complete the top 5, with 'The Amateur' grossing $6.8 million in its second weekend. The spy revenge thriller starring Rami Malek is shaping up to be a theatrical dud with $27 million domestic and $64 million worldwide after two weekends against a $60 million budget before marketing.
'Warfare' adds $4.8 million in its second weekend, giving it a $17.1 million total after two weekends. While well received from audiences, its graphic and realistic depiction of the Iraq War is keeping its audience appeal limited as it has yet to break even against its $20 million budget.
Thanks in large part to Warner's one-two punch of hits, April has been the drought-buster that theaters have seriously needed as domestic totals for the year reached $2 billion on Sunday. After the first quarter of the year finished nearly 12% behind that of 2024, the year-to-date annual total is now 6.2% ahead of last year's pace while the deficit compared to 2023 levels has reduced from 17% to 14.4%.
The post 'Sinners' Surges Past 'Minecraft' at Box Office With $45.6 Million Opening Weekend appeared first on TheWrap.
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