‘Sinners’ bites off a phenomenal 2nd weekend as a 20-year-old Star Wars
movie takes 2nd place
[April 28, 2025]
By LINDSEY BAHR
Horror movies are often one-week wonders at the box office, but Ryan
Coogler’s“Sinners” is defying the odds and proving to be true event
cinema.
In its second weekend in theaters, “Sinners” earned $45 million in
ticket sales from theaters in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio
estimates Sunday. That’s down a miniscule 6% from its Easter holiday
launch, the smallest drop in any genre since “Avatar” in 2009.
Worldwide, “Sinners” has now made $161.6 million.
For the industry, the showing proves the film's reach has broadened
beyond horror fans to mainstream audiences wanting to see what the hype
is about. Last weekend, men made up 56% of the audience. This weekend,
the gender divide narrowed to 50/50. Premium large format showings, like
the 70mm IMAX screens, are also a big draw. IMAX screens worldwide
accounted for some 21% of the second weekend globally, a nearly 9%
increase from last weekend.
The original ensemble movie, starring Michael B. Jordan as twins, rode
into theaters on a wave of great reviews. And, to be fair, “Sinners”
isn’t simply a horror film: It blends elements of drama, action and
musical into its southern gothic milieu.
“That’s one of the lowest second weekend holds for an overperforming
wide release ever,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst
for Comscore. “It’s an absolute phenomenon."
Hollywood expects significant drop off in a movie's second week of
release. Even a 50% dip is considered a solid number, baked into the
movie math. When it's anything less than that, it's notable.
“You can buy a great opening weekend with marketing, but if a movie
doesn’t have the goods, it’ll drop off," Dergarabedian said. “There's no
greater barometer of success than a second weekend hold like this."
The film was produced by Coogler’s Proximity Media and Warner Bros.,
which handled the theatrical release. After some disappointments earlier
in the year, it's the second major win for the studio after “A Minecraft
Movie” helped energize the box office earlier this month.
“Sinners” easily topped the biggest new competition this week: “The
Accountant 2,” a sequel starring Ben Affleck and released by Amazon MGM
Studios, which opened in third place with an estimated $24.5 million in
its first weekend. Gavin O'Connor directed the film, which played in
3,610 theaters in North America. Audiences gave it a promising A-
CinemaScore.
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This image released by Warner Bros Pictures shows Michael B. Jordan
in a scene from "Sinners." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)
The film that beat “The Accountant 2” for second place was a 20-year-old
Star Wars movie: “Revenge of the Sith.” The anniversary re-release took
in an estimated $25.2 million over the weekend, with many sellouts
reported, more than doubling last year’s release of “The Phantom
Menace.” Internationally, it earned $17 million from 34 territories,
giving it a $42.2 million global weekend. It's one of the top grossing
re-releases ever.
“A Minecraft Movie” landed in fourth place with $22.7 million, bringing
its domestic total to around $380 million.
The scary video game adaptation “Until Dawn” also opened this weekend to
an estimated $8 million, rounding out the top five. Sony Pictures
released the film, starring Ella Rubin and Michael Cimino, which has
earned $18.1 million globally.
The “Minecraft” and “Sinners” wins have meant a huge boost for the April
box office, which is up 102% from April 2024. The annual box office is
also up over 10% from last year after running at a double-digit deficit
in March. And this is all happening right before the industry’s summer
movie season kicks off on May 2 with Disney’s “Thunderbolts(asterisk).”
“There cannot be a better opening act for the summer movie season than
this weekend,” Dergarabedian said.
Top 10 movies by domestic box office
With final domestic figures due Monday, the following list factors in
estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian
theaters, according to Comscore:
1. “Sinners,” $45 million.
2. “Revenge of the Sith,” $25.2 million.
3. “The Accountant 2,” $24.5 million.
4. “A Minecraft Movie,” $22.7 million.
5. “Until Dawn,” $8 million.
6. “The King of Kings,” $4 million.
7. “The Amateur,” $3.8 million.
8. “Warfare,” $2.7 million.
9. “Pink Floyd at Pompeii -- MCMLXXII,” $2.6 million.
10. “The Legend of Ochi,” $1.4 million.
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