‘Sinners’ Hits #1 With $48M Opening in the U.S. — $15M Overseas [Updated]

Warner Bros. is practically single-handedly trying to revive original, non-IP films—and bless them for it. Who else is greenlighting exorbitantly priced, director-driven originals these days?

After starting the year with two original flops—“Mickey 17” and “Alto Knights”—Warner Bros. finally has a risk paying off. Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” is set for a #1 debut. The studio is reporting a $48 million opening, just enough to narrowly surpass the two-week champ (also from Warner Bros..), “Minecraft,” which brought in $41 million.

More significantly, “Sinners” now holds the title for the highest-grossing debut of the decade for an original, non-Nolan, non-IP film. It edged out Jordan Peele’s “Nope,” which opened to $44.3 million in summer 2022. Is Coogler now officially one of the rare filmmakers whose name alone can open a movie?

Audiences were clearly on board. “Sinners” earned an “A” CinemaScore, while PostTrak reported 5-star audience ratings, 92% positive sentiment, and 84% definite recommend. According to Deadline, Black moviegoers turned out in large numbers, with 60% of ticket buyers identifying as non-white.

Unfortunately, “Sinners” landed with a thud overseas. With a $105 million budget, its $15 million international take across 71 territories makes this a distinctly American success story. The New York Times has expressed skepticism about the film ultimately turning a profit.

What went wrong internationally? Take France, for example, where both critics and audiences were less enthusiastic about Coogler’s genre-blending approach. On AlloCiné—the French equivalent of Rotten Tomatoes—Sinners holds an average score of 3.5/5, which pales in comparison to the glowing reviews it’s received stateside.

Still, Warner Bros. film heads Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca are likely popping champagne right now. The optics, at least, domestically, look fantastic.