Topline
“Sinners,” a new horror film starring Michael B. Jordan in a dual role, made nearly $20 million on its first day in theaters Friday and is on track to surpass expectations at the box office this weekend as critics and social media rave about one of this year’s best-reviewed movies.
Michael B. Jordan plays a dual role in “Sinners.” (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
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“Sinners” opened in theaters Friday and grossed $19.2 million in its first day, multiple outlets reported, edging out “A Minecraft Movie” to become Friday’s highest-grossing film at the domestic box office.
“Sinners” is on track to surpass $40 million in its opening weekend, Deadline reported, which is higher than the $30 million Deadline projected days earlier.
An opening over $40 million would be an impressive start for an R-rated horror movie in the post-pandemic streaming era, Deadline reported, and the movie is expected to be in a tight race with “A Minecraft Movie” to win the weekend.
Deadline reported a “massive” 61% of moviegoers purchased their tickets to the film on the day of their screening, indicative of rising buzz, with nearly half of moviegoers saying they saw it because they heard it was good from family or friends.
Both “Sinners” and “A Minecraft Movie” were produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, which is a win for the studio that has had multiple recent flops, including this year’s “Mickey 17” and “The Alto Knights” and last year’s “Joker: Folie à Deux” and “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.”
What Is “sinners” About?
“Sinners” was written and directed by Ryan Coogler, the filmmaker behind the “Black Panther” movies, “Creed” and “Fruitvale Station,” all of which also star Michael B. Jordan. Jordan plays a dual role in “Sinners” as twin brothers who return to their hometown in the Mississippi Delta to open a juke joint, only to be confronted by a vampire army. The movie also stars Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku and Jayme Lawson.
How Have Audiences Responded To “sinners?”
Audiences have raved about Sinners, which earned an “A” grade from CinemaScore, a market research firm that surveys moviegoers and assigns an average letter grade rating. It also has a 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie has attracted social media buzz, with many tweets from moviegoers earning tens of thousands of likes. Kevin Durant praised the film on X: “The whole cast, everybody behind the scenes that had their hands on that film, Thank you,” stating Coogler “continues to speak to the soul.”
How Have Critics Reviewed “sinners?”
Critics have raved about “Sinners,” which boasts a near-perfect score of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes after 226 reviews. Los Angeles Times critic Amy Nicholson said “Coogler’s script delivers everything it promises with a grisly flourish,” praising “Sinners” as “an eternal movie, one that will transcend today’s box office and tomorrow’s awards to live on as a forever favorite.” Associated Press critic Jocelyn Noveck compared the movie to other recent films in which characters have played dual roles, but said “Sinners” is “by far the most creatively ambitious, culturally layered, artistically bold twin-led cinematic outing yet,” stating Coogler emerges as a “supremely talented writer-director.” In one of the movie’s only negative reviews, the Wall Street Journal said the film was overly ambitious, stating “for all the audacity of its conception, it finally collapses into the familiar.”
Tangent
“A Minecraft Movie” has dominated the box office since opening in theaters two weeks ago. The film has grossed nearly $600 million worldwide and is the highest-grossing movie of 2025 so far at the domestic box office, surpassing “Captain America: Brave New World.” “Minecraft” surpassed expectations by a huge margin: In its opening weekend, it grossed $163 million, far higher than the $65 million Deadline initially projected it would earn. The movie, however, has been notorious for attracting wild behavior at the theaters from moviegoers. Many viral social media posts have depicted people standing, shouting and throwing food and drinks during the movie, particularly during one scene in which a zombie character mounts a chicken, prompting Jack Black’s character to say a now-viral phrase: “Chicken jockey.” Some theaters have issued warnings to theatergoers, and in some viral videos, police have responded to disruptive outbursts at the theaters.
Further Reading
‘Minecraft Movie’ Still Hitting Gold With $45M Third Weekend, ‘Sinners’ Singing $40M+ & ‘A’ CinemaScore: Warner Bros Easter Box Office Double Feature – Update (Deadline)
‘A Minecraft Movie’ Is Smashing Box Office Records—While Sparking Disruptive Behavior In Theaters (Forbes)
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