Topline
Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” overtook “A Minecraft Movie” at the Easter weekend box office, according to multiple outlets, beating ticket sale expectations Saturday as it received praise from audiences and critics alike.
Sinners was released in theaters April 18. (Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP) (Photo by ADRIAN … More
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
“Sinners,” which was released Friday, is expected to beat “A Minecraft Movie” with about $45 million at the weekend box office compared to the latter film’s $42 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The box office projection was made after “Sinners” raked in $16.5 million Saturday, Deadline reported, noting the figure was only down 14% from Friday’s $19.2 million.
Meanwhile, “A Minecraft Movie” posted $15.8 million Saturday, continuing to generate solid box office numbers as it nears $350 million in the U.S., according to Deadline.
“Sinners,” an R-rated horror movie, still has substantial ground to cover in order to break even with its production and marketing costs, which totaled $150 million, according to The New York Times.
Behind “A Minecraft Movie” at this weekend’s box office was animated biblical film “King of Kings” ($17.2 million), spy thriller “The Amateur” ($7.2 million) and combat movie “Warfare” ($4.8 million).
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Surprising Fact
“Sinners” is the first R-rated horror movie to receive an “A” grade on CinemaScore in 35 years. CinemaScore calculates grades through multi-regional polls of opening night movie watchers. The movie also has a 98% rating from critics and 97% rating from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
Key Background
The box office performances for “Sinners” and “A Minecraft Movie” mark big wins for Warner Bros., which produced both movies. “A Minecraft Movie,” which is based on the bestselling video game and stars Jack Black and Jason Momoa, is the highest-grossing movie in the U.S. so far this year, bringing in $319 million since its April 4 release as of Saturday night and topping the likes of “Captain America: Brave New World” ($200 million) and “Mufasa: The Lion King” ($126 million). Box office analysts recently lowered their 2025 projection for the total domestic office from $9.7 billion to $9.5 billion, Deadline reported, with experts citing a lack of breakout successes so far this year.
Further Reading
‘Sinners’ Finds Salvation At Easter Box Office With $45M+ No. 1 Opening Win – Sunday Update (Deadline)
Box Office Upset: ‘Sinners’ Beats ‘Minecraft’ in Surprise Easter Weekend Victory (The Hollywood Reporter)
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