Ryan Coogler's ‘Sinners' resurrects 2025 box office with record-breaking $63 million
Oakland director Ryan Coogler's powerful allegory of racism in the Jim Crow South disguised as a muscular, sexy vampire film pulled in $63 million globally, including $48 million in North America, in its opening weekend that ended on Sunday, April 20.
The amount exceeded expectations and is the most that an original movie — that is, one not based on another source — has earned during its opening weekend in the 2020s. It is the best start for any original film since Jordan Peele's 'Us' opened to $71.1 million in pre-pandemic 2019.
'Sinners' even supplanted the phenomenal hit ' A Minecraft Movie,' which earned $40.5 million domestically in its third week and cruised past the $700 million mark globally, atop the North American box-office.
'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,' Warner Bros. Entertainment chairperson Michael De Luca and CEO Pamela Abdy said in a statement. '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.'
'Sinners' might have theatrical staying power, too. It has one more week left in IMAX, and the film received an A Cinemascore — the highest audience-approval rating for an original, R-rated horror movie ever — which bodes well for word-of-mouth success.
On review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, it currently holds an approval rating of 98% among critics and 97% with audiences.
In 'Sinners,' Michael B. Jordan plays a double role as twins who return to their Mississippi hometown wealthy and hoping to open a nightclub, but trouble brews. Hailee Steinfeld and Oakland resident Delroy Lindo co-star. Chronicle contributor Michael Ordoña called the film a 'banger' and said Jordan 'exudes genuine movie-star presence.'
''Sinners' defies convention by taking its time to get to the creepiness and violence. There's genuine care applied to building characters and relationships before sinking its teeth into horror elements,' Ordoña wrote in his Chronicle review of the film.
This latest success makes clear that Coogler is a filmmaker who can draw in audiences. His first four films — ' Fruitvale Station ' (2013), ' Creed ' (2015), ' Black Panther ' (2018) and ' Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ' (2022) — all earned multiple times their budgets at the theatrical box office.
'Sinners' is in Bay Area theaters, including at AMC Metreon 16 in San Francisco, one of eight theaters in the country showing it in 70mm IMAX, and the Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland, which is one of five theaters screening it in 70MM.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
23 minutes ago
- Forbes
Taylor Swift Soars On iTunes Following Album Announcement
In less than two months, Taylor Swift will release her new album The Life of a Showgirl. In the past few days, the superstar has given the world much to talk about regarding her latest era, from the title and release date (October 3) to hints about what it may sound like, with pop superproducers Max Martin and Shellback helming the project. Following the unveiling of the cover and multiple photos showing the inspiration for this latest chapter, Swift's catalog has soared on iTunes in the U.S., as excitement for the full-length has translated into renewed interest in everything she's ever released. 16 Taylor Swift Albums Surge on iTunes 16 projects by Swift appear on the iTunes Top Albums ranking in America. That would be a career achievement for almost any other star, but for her, it simply means she's made a major announcement. As of this writing, all 16 projects are on the rise, and several have even managed to break back into the highest tier on the tally, beating out a handful of new releases that dropped just days ago from other beloved acts. Taylor Swift's Two Top 10 Bestsellers Swift fills two slots inside the top 10 on iTunes's ranking of the top-selling albums in the U.S. Reputation sits highest, advancing to No. 7, while Red (Taylor's Version) — the one that includes a message from the singer herself — jumps more than 40 spaces to land at No. 10. Seven Additional Top 40 Successes Seven other projects by Swift live inside the top 40 on the iTunes Top Albums chart, including Lover, Folklore (Deluxe Edition), Midnights (The Til Dawn Edition), The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, Evermore (Deluxe Edition), 1989 (Taylor's Version) (Deluxe), and the bonus track version of her self-titled debut. Only two of Swift's albums appear below the halfway mark on the 200-spot ranking. Fearless reenters at No. 130, while Folklore: Long Pond Studio Sessions (From the Disney+ Special) (Deluxe Edition) – yes, that's the full title – is down at No. 158. Taylor Swift May Have Additional Sales Spikes Coming Soon In an era of streaming dominance, Swift is one of a few acts that can still sell albums in huge quantities — not just when she delivers something new, but seemingly at all times. Sales skyrocket whenever there's a hint, revelation, or announcement. This uptick in purchases may be momentary, but it likely won't be the only one of this era. When she announces and then drops a single — and eventually the album itself — several of her previous full-lengths, if not all of them, will likely return to iTunes and soar again.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
All 4 of Taylor Swift's 'Life of a Showgirl' covers sell out. Vote for your favorite.
A showgirl's life takes many forms, and Taylor Swift has the album covers to prove it. After Swift announced her upcoming album, "The Life of a Showgirl," on the Aug. 13 episode of the "New Heights" podcast, she also released four deluxe CD versions of the album for preorder. The limited edition CDs each feature a different cover for the album, which officially comes out Oct. 3. Each of the covers shows an image of Swift channeling her showgirl era, from climbing over audience seats to sporting feathers and crystals. The color scheme of the versions also correspond with several Easter eggs Swift dropped ahead of the album announcement. In the hours before the release of the podcast episode, a countdown with an orange door and series of locks replaced Swift's website home page. The colors of the locks, which were orange, pink, purple and gray, also matched four boxes labeled "T.S." in the background of Swift and Kelce's interview on "New Heights." Which cover is your favorite? Take our survey at the bottom of this story. Taylor Swift explains 'The Life of a Showgirl' album cover The main cover for "The Life of a Showgirl," which is called the Sweat and Vanilla Perfume edition, features Swift underwater wearing a bedazzled top. She said on "New Heights" that the cover art represents the end of her nights while touring. "My day ends with me in a bathtub, not usually in a bedazzled dress," she said, referring to her record-breaking Eras Tour. "I wanted to glamorize all the different aspects of how that tour felt." The singer also said she wanted to portray an "offstage moment" in the image. "This album isn't really about what happened to me on stage. It's about what I was going through offstage," she said. How many versions of 'The Life of a Showgirl' are there? Which are sold out? In addition to the main cover, the Sweat and Vanilla Perfume edition, three other CD versions were released for preorder on Aug. 13. They are: The CD versions were only released as limited editions available for 72 hours, but all were sold out on Swift's site by 10 a.m. ET on Aug. 14. See 'The Life of a Showgirl: It's Frightening' edition The cover image for "The Life of a Showgirl: It's Frightening" edition features an image of Swift climbing over what appear to be audience seats in a movie theater. She is sporting a black bodysuit, fishnet tights and a slicked back hairstyle. The version corresponds with the pink and red hues of the second lock that appeared on Swift's website countdown and the matching box seen on the podcast episode. See 'The Life of a Showgirl: It's Rapturous' edition "The Life of a Showgirl: It's Rapturous" edition cover matches the purple countdown lock and similar box in the backdrop of "New Heights." In the image, Swift is donning a black bob and bare shoulders with her elbows leaned against a chair. In the backdrop, feathers surround her. Swift's hands also lay over her cheeks in a pose that is reminiscent of the cover poster for her "Reputation" stadium tour in 2018. See 'The Life of a Showgirl: It's Beautiful' edition The final album cover for "The Life of a Showgirl" is the "It's Beautiful" edition, which shows Swift in a crystal-covered outfit fit for a cabaret show. With her signature red lip and long blonde hair, Swift appears to bite her index finger while a bejeweled headpiece blocks one of her eyes from view. The edition matches with the gray lock seen on her website countdown on Aug. 13 and the corresponding "T.S." box seen on "New Heights." Which 'The Life of a Showgirl' cover is your favorite? Vote in our survey Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at
Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
Your coworker may be too close to their AI chatbot
Good morning. Travis Kelce scored the ultimate podcast guest last night in his girlfriend, Taylor Swift. During the nearly two-hour episode, the singer spoke about the Eras Tour, her Easter eggs, and her new album. More than 8 million people have already watched it — but if you're not one of them, read BI's seven big takeaways. In today's big story, employees are treating ChatGPT like their new office besties. But there are risks, and some of their human coworkers feel weird about it. What's on deck: Markets: Corporate bankruptcies are blowing past pandemic-era highs. Tech: One of AI's hottest startups is seeking a fresh round of fundraising. Business: Why your favorite celeb is suddenly hawking cellphones. But first, the rally continues. If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. The big story Your new office bestie The model coworker: Always on. Stays focused. Learns fast. No ego. No attitude. No pulse? You know AI chatbots can be great tools to optimize your work — but this goes deeper. People are swapping office besties for bots, and it could spell disaster for real human connections. For Nicole Ramirez, it began with using ChatGPT to draft emails. Then came more complex tasks. Before long, ChatGPT felt like a trusted coworker, even listening to her vent about real clients and colleagues. She's named it Deborah, by the way. More and more Americans are developing human-like relationships with AI, even romantically. For $69.99 a year — which BI's Katie Notopoulos reasoned is cheaper than a few "real-life" dates — you could essentially purchase a romantic partner from Replika. The appeal of building human connections with AI can be overwhelming. The potential dangers, too. "Like junk food, it's efficient when you need it, but too much over time can give you relational diabetes," says Laura Greve, a clinical health psychologist in Boston. "You're starved of the nutrients you need, the real human connection." BI previously spoke with four professionals — a sociologist, a psychologist, a digital etiquette coach, and a sex therapist — to explore how the rise of AI is changing how we see each other and ourselves and disrupting our manners and intimate lives. The findings? ChatGPT is making us weird. MIT researchers found that overindulging in AI in the workplace can result in the weakening of critical-thinking skills. You may see yourself start procrastinating more, becoming lazy. Then there's how others may see you. Your colleagues might view you as dependent on the technology, less creative, and lacking growth potential, says David De Cremer, a behavioral scientist. In a world where one-third of US workers would rather clean a toilet than ask a colleague for help — yes, it's a real statistic — it's no surprise that some are turning to chatbots instead. The risk arises when they start turning to them for everything else as well. The workers who spoke with BI about using chatbots say they still interact with their human peers, just less often than they did before. 3 things in markets 1. US bankruptcies are surging past 2020 pandemic levels. Though the economy seems to be on solid footing, a peak in corporate bankruptcies signals pain beneath the surface. Beloved 1990s and 2000s brands like Forever 21 and Joann's are among those that have filed. 2. Less BLS, more alternative data sources. Trump's shake-up of the Bureau of Labor Statistics means macro investors may start leaning more heavily on non-governmental data sources. Those include the ADP jobs report, MIT's Billion Prices Project, and more, macro traders told BI. 3. An easy way to make more money on your money. Many Americans are missing out on high-yield savings, according to a recent Vanguard survey. Here's how to make sure you're not missing out on any gains. 3 things in tech 1. Perplexity is raising another round of funding. This time, the AI search engine is seeking a $20 billion post-money valuation, according to an email sent to prospective investors seen by BI and a source with knowledge of the raise. Perplexity's business has been surging lately, but that valuation still doesn't come close to the surprise $34.5 billion bid it recently offered to buy Chrome. 2. Is Sam Altman a weak CEO? The OpenAI founder introduced GPT-5 and told everyone they'd have to get rid of the old versions of ChatGPT they'd been using. Then, after people complained, he reversed course. BI's Peter Kafka argues that makes him a flexible CEO, not a weak one. 3. xAI is losing one of its cofounders. In a farewell post on X, Igor Babuschkin, who co-founded xAI with Elon Musk in 2023, said he's leaving to start Babuschkin Ventures. In the post, Babuschkin recounted helping Musk build xAI from scratch — and said he learned two major lessons from him. 3 things in business 1. Why cellphones became the hot, new celebrity side hustle. Telecom is the new tequila, and everyone from Ryan Reynolds to Jason Bateman and Donald Trump is cashing in. The hope is that they can leverage the clout they have with existing fanbases to get people to switch mobile networks. (Whether that bet will pay off, however, is a different story.) 2. Not everyone loves Cracker Barrel's modern makeover. Some of the chain's locations are losing the decor that lent it a nostalgic feel, a change that diners are divided over. However, some said Cracker Barrel needs to focus on what they're putting on the table, not the walls. 3. The protein bros have won. After four and a half years of being vegan, Manhattan restaurant Eleven Madison Park announced it's reintroducing meat to its menu. The restaurant's chef said the vegan menu "unintentionally excluded some people" and caused financial difficulties. The decision also aligns with the country's current protein obsession. In other news The DIY cage armor in Ukraine keeps getting weirder, wilder — and more 'Mad Max.' Spirit Airlines warns it may not survive another year after huge losses. A former Miss USA and Miss Teen USA thought the Miss Universe CEO's 'blond hair and blue eyes' comment was ' very destructive.' Elon Musk said Apple made it 'impossible' for non-ChatGPT AI apps to top the App Store. DeepSeek would like a word. Senate Democrats say a new crypto bill raises the risk of 'financial meltdown.' What's happening today Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO in court on sex trafficking charges. Hallam Bullock, senior editor, in London. Grace Lett, editor, in New York. Akin Oyedele, deputy editor, in New York. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York (on parental leave).
