Sinnershas had a record-breaking opening weekend where it beat the third weekend ofA Minecraft Movie, a viral video game adaptation starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa that swiftly became the second highest-grossing movie of 2025 so far and is in the middle of what may turn out to be a billion-dollar run. The new horror movie, which was directed by Ryan Coogler, starsJust Mercy’s Michael B. Jordan in a dual role as twin brothers. This is the fifth Coogler-directed movie in which Jordan has appeared, afterFruitvale Station,Creed,Black Panther, andBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Although Michael B. Jordan plays two characters, the remainder of theSinnerscastis nevertheless robust and star-studded.Jordan’s co-stars includePitch PerfectandHawkeyestar Hailee Steinfeld, who was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in 2010’sTrue Grit, Delroy Lindo, a Tony nominee whose recent roles include appearances inThe Harder They FallandDa 5 Bloods, Jack O’Connell, who played Louis Zamperini in 2014’sUnbroken, Wunmi Mosaku, who is known for her roles inLovecraft Country,Loki, andDeadpool & Wolverine, and Li Jun Li, a television veteran known for Fox’sThe Exorcistand ABC’sQuantico.
Sinners Made $61 Million Worldwide In its Opening Weekend
It Took No. 1 At The Domestic Box Office
TheSinnersreleasekicked off by making a splash at the worldwide box office. As reflected by the projections that were released byVarietyon Sunday morning, the movie is set to close out its opening weekend by taking in a 3-day total of $45.6 million at the domestic box office. When combined with the $15.4 million it earned in international markets, this gives the horror movie a global debut total of $61 million. This isthe most that an original movie has earned during its opening weekend in the entirety of the 2020sso far.
[Sinners] is No. 11 on the worldwide chart of 2025 movies…
Additionally, this global opening weekend total means thatSinnershas become one of the highest grossing movies of 2025 within the span of just three days. At the time of writing, it is No. 11 on the worldwide chart of 2025 movies, landing just outside the Top 10, which ranges fromThe Amateur($64.3 million) at No. 10 toNe Zha 2($1.898 billion) at No. 1. The horror movie has already outgrossed a number of movies that have been in theaters for considerably longer, includingDen of Thieves: Pantera($57.3 million),Flight Risk($44.4 million), andCompanion($36.7 million).
Sinners Took No. 1 Over A Minecraft Movie
It Prematurely Ended Minecraft’s Streak Atop The Chart
Another ofSinners' achievements is that it knockedA Minecraft Moviefrom the top of the chart, ending its No. 1 streak after just two weekends.It managed to do so in spite of the fact that it had a great deal of competitionfrom other new releases like the 20th anniversary re-release ofPride & Prejudiceas well as holdover titles such as the faith-based animated hitThe King of Kings, the Alex Garland movieWarfare, and the Rami Malek action movieThe Amateur. Below, see the full domestic box office Top 5 for the weekend of April 18:
1
$45.6 million
$45.6 million (weekend 1)
2
$41.3 million
$344.6 million (weekend 3)
3
$17.2 million
$45.3 million (weekend 2)
4
$7.2 million
$27.3 million (weekend 2)
5
$4.855 million
$17.1 million (weekend 2)
One reason why this may be the case is the fact thatSinnersreviewshave been glowing across the board. In addition to earning a near-perfect Certified Fresh score of 98% from critics on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, audiences that were polled during the movie’s opening weekend gave it a CinemaScore of A, which isthe highest score that has ever been given to a horror movie.
Previously, the highest that CinemaScore that a horror movie has reached is A-, a score that was given to titles such asGet OutandA Quiet Place Part II.
Additionally,the combination of director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan has proven to be potentat the box office. Together, they have smashed multiple box office records, withBlack Panthernotably becoming the highest-grossing February movie at the domestic box office as well as the highest-grossing movie from a Black director, so their new collaboration may have been enticing to audiences in the same way in spite of the fact that it is an original movie not attached to a major franchise.
How Sinners' Opening Weekend Compares To Other R-Rated Horror Movies
In addition to topping the domestic box office chart for the weekend, theMichael B. Jordan moviehas earnedthe ninth-best domestic debut of all time for an R-rated horror movie. Below, see a breakdown of the ten R-rated horror movies with the best opening weekends at the domestic box office:
$123.4 million
$704.2 million
$91 million
$473.1 million
$76.2 million
$255.4 million
$71.1 million
$256 million
$58 million
$351.7 million
$53.8 million
$366 million
$52.6 million
$207 million
$49.4 million
$131.6 million
$44.4 million
$166.6 million
Because an R rating restricts the amount of people who can see a movie by severely limiting the age range of ticketbuyers, such movies are very frequently outgrossed by movies that are rated PG-13 or lower. However, by landing in the Top 10,Sinnershas proven that it has connected with adult audiences in a way that very few original horror movies have. In fact,the only other non-franchise movie on the chart is Jordan Peele’sUs, which had the fourth-best debut of all time for an R-rated horror movie.
Sinners Broke A Record For Easter Weekend Releases
It Outshone A David Fincher Movie
Another major record thatSinnershas set is the fact that it has earnedthe ninth-best domestic debut for an Easter weekend release. Below, see how it stands among the Top 10 Easter weekend debuts of all time:
$181 million
$166.5 million
$161.2 million
$107.3 million
$87.7 million
Clash of the Titans(2010)
$67.6 million
$47 million
$45.8 million
G.I. Joe: Retaliation(2013)
$45 million
In addition to landing in the Top 10 in general, the newRyan Coogler moviehas earnedthe highest-grossing Easter weekend debut for an R-rated movieat the domestic box office. The previous record-holder was David Fincher’sPanic Room, which remained on top for more than two decades after grossing $33 million when it debuted over Easter weekend in 2002.
Sinners Reportedly Cost $90 Million To Make - Will That Hurt It?
It Has A Long Way To Go In Order To Break Even
In spite of its enormous box office success, the new horror movie may be facing a major hurdle because theSinnersbudgetis reportedly $90 million. Because theaters keep half of ticket sales and marketing costs are not factored into production budgets, generally, movies need to earn back two and a half times their budgets to turn a profit in theaters, whichcould place the release’s break-even point somewhere around $225 million. This will be a tall order for the movie even in the wake of a record-breaking opening weekend.
Only three 2025 movies -Ne Zha 2,A Minecraft Movie, andCaptain America: Brave New World- have so far grossed more than $225 million worldwide.
In order forSinnersto hit that break-even point,it would need to earn five times its global opening weekend by the end of its run. This is a highly unlikely outcome for any movie, let alone an R-rated horror movie. However, of the eight R-rated horror movies that had higher opening weekends at the domestic box office, six grossed more than $225 million by the end of their runs. If the new movie can harness its unprecedented CinemaScore to build a strong word-of-mouth campaign, turning a profit could very well be within the realm of possibility.