Ryan Coogler's 'Sinners' matches 'Avatar's 16-year-old box office record
What's the story
Ryan Coogler's Sinners has matched a rare record set by James Cameron's Avatar from 2009.
The latest horror movie equaled the smallest second-weekend box office drop in any genre since Avatar.
In its second weekend in cinemas, Sinners raked in $45 million from US and Canadian theaters, marking a tiny 6% drop from its Easter holiday debut ($48 million).
The film has grossed $161.6 million globally.
Record-breaking earnings
'It's an absolute phenomenon'
Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for Comscore, told the agency AP: "That's one of the lowest second weekend holds for an overperforming wide release ever." "It's an absolute phenomenon."
Normally, Hollywood expects a sharp drop in a movie's second week of release. Even a 50% dip is a solid number. But Sinners's performance is exceptional as it has dropped less than that.
In India, it has grossed a modest ₹7cr in 10 days.
Audience appeal
'Sinners' broadens audience reach beyond horror enthusiasts
The Michael B. Jordan and Hailee Steinfeld starrer's global success shows its reach has extended beyond horror fanatics to the general audience.
Last weekend, men made up 56% of the US-Canada audience, but this weekend, it was a 50/50 gender split, reported AP.
Premium large format showings, such as 70mm IMAX screens, also did a lot for the film's success.
IMAX screens globally contributed about 21% of the second weekend's global earnings, nearly 9% more than last week.
Box office boost
'Sinners' outperformed new releases and boosted domestic box office
Sinners dominated the box office, easily defeating its new competitor, The Accountant 2, which debuted at No. 3 with an estimated $24.5 million in its opening weekend in the domestic circuit.
The film that ended up in the second position was a 20-year-old Star Wars film, Revenge of the Sith, which earned an estimated $25.2 million this weekend.
Sinners and A Minecraft Movie's success has greatly boosted the April box office, which is up 102% from April 2024.