Coogler began developing the film through his production companyProximity Media, with Jordan cast in the lead role. The project was announced in January 2024, and after a bidding war, Warner Bros. Pictures acquired distribution rights the following month. Additional roles were cast in April.Principal photography took place from April to July 2024. Longtime Coogler collaboratorLudwig Göransson composed the film's score and served as an executive producer.
In 1932, identical twins and World War I veterans Elijah "Smoke" and Elias "Stack" Moore return toClarksdale, Mississippi, after spending seven years in Chicago working forthe Outfit. Using money stolen from criminal syndicates, they purchase a sawmill from landowner Hogwood to start ajuke joint for the local Black community. Their younger cousin Sammie, a singer and guitarist, joins them despite his pastor father Jedidiah's warnings about the sins of blues music.
The twins recruit pianist Delta Slim as a performer,local Chinese shopkeeper couple Grace and Bo Chow as suppliers, field worker Cornbread as a bouncer, and Smoke's wife Annie as a cook. Annie believes herHoodoo practices kept the twins safe, but Smoke doubts them for not preventing their infant daughter's death. Stack runs into his ex-girlfriend Mary, whom he abandoned to protect her from the White community. Elsewhere, Irish-immigrant vampire Remmick shelters fromChoctaw vampire hunters with a marriedKlansmen couple, whom he turns into vampires.
On the joint's opening night, Sammie, Delta Slim, and Pearline – a singer with whom Sammie becomes enamored – perform on stage. Sammie's music is transcendent, unknowingly summoning spirits of performers both past and future to join the crowd. However, the performance also attracts Remmick and his vampires, who offer money and music in exchange for entry. A suspicious Smoke refuses. The twins realize that their patrons' reliance oncompany scrip makes it impossible for the joint to be profitable. Reasoning with Stack that outside income is necessary, Mary steps outside, only to be turned by Remmick. Returning inside, she seduces and fatally bites Stack. A shocked Smoke shoots Mary, but she is unaffected and escapes. Outside, Remmick turns Cornbread.
Smoke closes the joint early; as the patrons and Bo leave, the vampires turn them. Stack revives as a vampire, but flees after Annie repels him with pickled garlic juice. Annie realizes their assailants are vampires and tells the survivorshow to deter and kill them. Although Remmick and his vampires share ahive mind, their personalities remain intact.
Still unable to enter the joint unless invited, Remmick tries to negotiate by inviting the survivors to join him, saying that vampirism offers immortality and freedom from persecution. He promises to leave in exchange for Sammie, whose musical skills he wants to use to summon the spirits of his lost community, also revealing that Hogwood heads the localKlan and plans to attack the joint at dawn. They refuse, and Remmick threatens to attack the Chows' daughter Lisa at their home.
Enraged, Grace invites the vampires into the joint, and a fight ensues. Grace, Bo, Annie, and Delta Slim are killed, while Mary escapes and Remmick turns Pearline. Smoke fights Stack and then assists Sammie in defeating the remaining vampires, who are all incinerated by the light of the sunrise. Smoke sends Sammie home before he kills Hogwood and his men, but is fatally shot. He reunites with Annie and their daughter after dying. Meanwhile, Sammie disregards his father's pleas to seek salvation and travels to Chicago.
In 1992, an elderly Sammie, now a successful blues musician, is visited by an ageless Stack and Mary at his local blues club. Stack reveals that Smoke spared him at the joint on the condition that Sammie live in peace. After declining the couple's offer of immortality, Sammie admits that despite being haunted by that night, until the violence, it was the greatest day of his life. Stack wistfully agrees, since it was the last time he saw Smoke or the sun, and the only time they were all truly free.
In January 2024, an untitledperiod film from writer, director and producerRyan Coogler was reported to be in development through his production companyProximity Media, with longtime collaboratorMichael B. Jordan cast in the lead role.[16][17] Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Universal Pictures were in a bidding war to acquire the distribution rights to the film, which carried a budget of around $90 million.[18] According toThe Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros.greenlit the film with a production budget of $80 million, but the final budget climbed to $100 million.[4] In exchange for the distribution rights to the film, Coogler was asking studios forfirst-dollar gross,final cut privilege, and ownership of the film twenty-five years after its release.[19] The following month, Warner Bros. won the distribution rights to the film by acceding to Coogler's terms.[17]
In April 2024, Jack O'Connell was cast as the film's villain.[20] Delroy Lindo, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller,Hailee Steinfeld,Li Jun Li and Lola Kirke were cast in undisclosed roles.[21]Wunmi Mosaku was cast as Smoke's love interest.[22]Yao,Miles Caton,Peter Dreimanis, and Christian Robinson were added the next month.[23][24]Halsey wouldaudition for the role that went to Steinfeld.[25]Machine Gun Kelly was offered the opportunity to audition for the role that went to Peter Dreimanis, but declined because he was not comfortable saying "nigger".[26]
Principal photography began in New Orleans on April 14, 2024, under the working titleGrilled Cheese, andwrapped on July 17.[27][28][29] It was shot by cinematographerAutumn Durald Arkapaw on65 mm film using a combination ofIMAX 15-perf andUltra Panavision 70 cameras[30] and scenes thus alternate between the 1.43:1 and 2.76:1aspect ratios.[31][32][33] In shooting this movie, Arkapaw became the first female director of photography to shoot any movie on large format IMAX film.[34][11]Kodak created a 65mm version of theirEktachrome100D 5294 film stock specifically for the production, where it was used for a flashback sequence.[35] The production spent $67.6 million on-location in Louisiana.[36] The film's allocated budget was reported to have ultimately risen to around $100million.[37][4] The film's production designerHannah Beachler has acknowledged that the way the church in the film was designed included crossed beams that made the "Wakanda Forever" gesture and paid homage to the late Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) filmBlack Panther starChadwick Boseman.[38][39]Industrial Light & Magic (ILM),Storm Studios,Rising Sun Pictures,Base FX, Baraboom Studios, Light VFX and Outpost VFX provided the film's visual effects.[40][41] Some of the film's costumes were originally designed byRuth E. Carter for the planned MCU filmBlade, but when production on it stalled Carter was approached by Coogler to work on the film. Given both films' shared time period and similar settings within theProhibition era, Carter was able to reuse her research forSinners and was allowed by Marvel Studios to buy costumes she made originally forBlade to be used onSinners.[42] Marvel Studios presidentKevin Feige said the studio no longer needed the costumes after deciding to moveBlade from a period setting, so they were happy for Carter to use them on Coogler's film.[43]
Ryan Coogler has spoken about the parallels drawn in the film between African Americans, the Irish, and the Choctaw, noting the historical intermingling of these cultures and its influence on their musical traditions. He cited Delta blues musicianCharlie Patton, who Coogler says was "likely part Choctaw," mentioned as the original owner of the guitar played by Sammie.[49]
Armenian-American film producerSev Ohanian observes that the film is personal, rooted in Coogler's own heritage and cultural identity. He notes that Coogler drew heavily from his family history and musical passions, even describing the screenwriting process as a spiritual experience where he felt guided by the presence of his ancestors.[50]
Coogler has also said that the character of Remmick, who is Irish, identifies with the black characters because of "the connection between what we experienced – we being African Americans… forcibly removed from the continent of Africa… and the experience of the Irish people being forced to work land that has immeasurable abundance and wealth, but being denied that. So I mean, the connections between the two cultures are really obvious to spot."[51]
Coogler's frequent collaboratorLudwig Göransson worked on the soundtrack ofSinners.[52] Göransson describedSinners as a personal and ambitious score, reflecting his own musical journey.[53] He drew inspiration from blues music and performed the score on a 1932Dobro Cyclopsresonator guitar, the same one Sammie carries throughout the film.[52][54] According to producer Ohanian, the movie serves as a dedication to Coogler's Uncle James, the eldest male in his family and a native of the Mississippi region. Through lifelong conversations about the blues, James helped Coogler develop a personal connection to the history and culture of the era.[50] During pre-production, Coogler sent Göransson recordings from the 1930s and 1940s, particularly those ofRobert Johnson andTommy Johnson.[55] Göransson and Coogler insisted that Ludwig's wife Serena produce the songs. Serena Göransson, a classically trained violinist, said the southern Black music had to be handled with care and expert consultation and that she felt "like a steward with this project [...] especially with the music. I just feel that it has a life of its own..."[52]
Unlike most Warner Bros. films, which have soundtracks released through the company's in-house labelWaterTower Music, the soundtrack and score toSinners were released through Sony Music labels.[54] The soundtrack was released onSony Masterworks on April 18, 2025, the same day as the film,[58] featuring 22 tracks performed by an array of blues musicians, alongside the cast members.[59][60] The lead single "Sinners," performed byRod Wave, was released two weeks prior.[54][61]
Sinners was released in the United States and Canada on April 18, 2025. It was previously scheduled for release on March 7, 2025, but was delayed to April (swapping dates withMickey 17) to allow for more time needed inpost-production due to the scarcity offilm stock labs for the project, which heavily used film cameras.[62][63][64] In addition to a standard digital release, the film also received 10IMAX 70 mm prints,[65][66] and 5 standard 70 mm prints.[67][68]
In late May, the film was screened in Clarksdale, Mississippi, where it is set. Clarksdale does not have a working movie theater, but the civic auditorium hosted six showings, introduced by Coogler, Göransson, and other filmmakers. The town also hosted panels and Q&As related to the film over the three-day weekend festival.[69][70]
AMC Theaters nationwide scheduled screenings of the film onJuneteenth at discounted prices.[71]
Sinners was released on digital streaming on June 3, 2025,[72] and on4K Ultra HD Blu-ray,Blu-ray, andDVD on July 8, 2025.[73] It premiered onHBO Max on July 4, 2025.[74] Warner Bros. announced thatSinners would also be available to stream on HBO Max with interpretation inBlack American Sign Language (BASL); the company stated that it was the first film to ever be offered by a streaming service with BASL.[75] The film is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video starting December 26, 2025.[76]
Sinners has grossed $280 million in the United States and Canada, and $88.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $369 million.[5][6]
Some publications said the film needed to gross $170–185 million tobreak-even when factoring in its production budget, Coogler'sfirst-dollar gross, premium video-on-demand, and streaming deals with Prime and Netflix.[77][78] Other industry sources placed the break-even point at $200–225 million, withPuck going as high as $300 million, because of the film's budget, estimated $50–60 million marketing spend, and the presumption that theaters keep half of ticket sales.[79][80] Many fans of the film and industry figures likeBen Stiller criticized media coverage, specifically pieces fromVariety,The New York Times, andBusiness Insider, that seemed to downplay the film's success by focusing on its box office performance, Coogler's salary, and speculation about its profitability.[81][82][83][84] In September 2025,Variety reported the film was expected to make a theatrical profit of around $60 million.[85]
In the United States and Canada,Sinners was projected to gross $30–40 million from 3,308 theaters in its opening weekend.[78][86] The film made $19.2 million on its first day, including an estimated $4.7 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $48 million, topping projections to finish first at the box office, upsetting Warner Bros.' own holdoverA Minecraft Movie, which grossed $40.5 million in its third weekend.[77] The opening marked the best start for an original film sinceJordan Peele'sUs ($71 million in 2019), and the first time a studio had two films make more than $40 million each over a single weekend since 2009. Walk-up business, particularly on Saturday, and word-of-mouth contributed substantially to the opening, with 61% of attendees buying their ticket the same day.[77][87] Premium large format and IMAX screenings made up 45% of the opening.[88] Exit polling indicated that 47% of moviegoers bought tickets because of Jordan, 40% for Coogler, and 45% because of positive word-of-mouth, and that 64% of attendees were 35 or younger, with 46% being 25–34 and 2% under 18. The audience was 49% Black, 27% Caucasian, 14% Latino and Hispanic, 6% Asian, and 4% Native American/other, "a strong turnout among different demographics".[77][80][87][89]Sinners also made $15.4 million from 71 international markets, for a global opening weekend of $61 million.[90]
Word-of-mouth momentum helpedSinners earn the second-best Monday haul for an R-rated horror film at $7.8 million, behindIt ($8.6 million in 2017).[91] It ended its first week ahead of the seven-day totals ofThe Conjuring ($61.7 million in 2013) andGet Out ($49.8 million in 2017) with $77.5 million.[89]Sinners exceededsecond weekend projections ($19.2–24 million)[92] to outgross new releases and top the box office again with $45.7 million. Its 4.9% drop is the third-best second-weekend performance for a film that debuted to more than $40 million afterShrek (+0.3% in 2001) andAvatar (−1.8% in 2009);[93] the second-best second weekend for an R-rated horror film afterIt ($60.1 million); and the third-best second weekend for Coogler afterBlack Panther ($111.6 million in 2018) and its sequelWakanda Forever ($66.4 million in 2022).Deadline noted that the film's audience had broadened, with women making up 56% of patrons (up from 43% in the first weekend) and those under 25 years of age comprising 34% (up from 20%).[89] The film also made $13.5 million over that frame from 71 foreign markets, a total attributed to word-of-mouth and strong holds in several countries.[94]
After ceding its premium-large format and IMAX screens to newcomerThunderbolts*,Sinners achieved the best third weekend for a horror film with $33 million (a 28% drop), toppingIt ($29.7 million).[95] Helped by "exceptional holds" in Latin America and Europe, it also made $10.4 million internationally over the weekend.[96]Sinners crossed $200million domestically in its fourth weekend,[97] becoming the first original film to do so sinceCoco in 2017.[98]
On the review aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 97% of 428 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "A rip-roaring fusion of masterful visual storytelling and toe-tapping music, writer-director Ryan Coogler's first original blockbuster reveals the full scope of his singular imagination."[99]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 84 out of 100, based on 55 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[100] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale (the highest grade for a horror film in 35 years), while those surveyed byPostTrak gave it a 92% overall positive score, with 84% saying they would definitely recommend the film.[77]
Reviewers praised Coogler's vision and the film's cinematography;Rolling Stone critic A.A. Dowd commented that the director was "swinging wide and far beyond the boundaries of franchise fare", while Wendy Ide ofThe Observer wrote that "Coogler's assurance and vision holds everything together."[101][102][103]Ann Hornaday of theWashington Post cited Coogler's "impressive self-awareness", as well as Jordan, Mosaku, and Caton's performances.[104] A number of critics suggested that the film's more grounded first half was superior to the supernaturally driven later acts.[105][106][107]Peter Travers ofABC News declaredSinners the best movie yet released in 2025, writing that it was Coogler and Jordan's "best and most daring work yet".[108]
In a more negative review,The Wall Street Journal's Zachary Barnes praised Jordan's performance, but wrote thatSinners did not pull together thematically, arguing that "Mr. Coogler's imagination remains limited by the conventions ofMarveldom."[109]Sho Baraka ofChristianity Today notes, "Just be aware that ... the bawdy themes will tutor you in practices that would make your marriage counselor blush. ...Sinners does speak frankly about the bloodsucking perversion of religion in the United States. But the same plantation folks who suffered hypocrisy knew of a healer who gave joy [that] spawned spirituals, which gave birth to blues."[110]
The music ofSinners was widely praised by critics, who noted its centrality to the film's story.David Ehrlich ofIndieWire wrote: "This isn't the first time that a Ludwig Göransson score has been inextricable from the texture of a Ryan Coogler movie, butSinners opens with someone talking about a kind of music 'so pure it can pierce the veil between life and death, past and future'...and then proceeds to show us exactly what that sounds like."[115] Mae Abdulbaki ofScreen Rant stated: "The music alone, from the songs played by the characters to the score by Ludwig Göransson, takes the film to another level."[116]Amy Nicholson ofLos Angeles Times described the score as "phenomenal", adding that it is music "you've never heard and yet it seems to come from deep inside our pop-cultural soul."[7] David Rooney ofThe Hollywood Reporter described it as "flavorful [...] with the score and the blues performances fusing together to intoxicating effect."[117] Barnes, ofThe Wall Street Journal, called Göransson's score "a twangy marvel of genre-crossing interpolation".[109]
Richard Brody ofThe New Yorker placedSinners at Number 1 on his list of the best films of 2025.[118] In June 2025,IndieWire ranked the film at number 65 on its list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 2020s (So Far)."[119] In July 2025,The Hollywood Reporter ranked it number 16 on its list of the "25 Best Horror Movies of the 21st Century."[120]
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