The film Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Michael B. Jordan, is in many ways the kind of movie that a lot of people say they want more of. It comes from one of the most acclaimed and talented working filmmakers, and it’s a completely original story, brimming with creativity and excitement.
The early reception has been almost universally positive, holding a 100 percent Rotten Tomatoes critics score for a couple of days before settling in at 98 percent. I saw it last week, and reviewed it here — so I contributed to that nearly perfect RT score — and I can say it’s a nearly complete creative triumph. My screening consisted of a mix of critics and non-critics, and I didn’t hear a single negative word from anyone afterwards.
Sinners is set in the Mississippi in the early 1930s, as a pair of twins (both played by Michael B. Jordan) return from Chicago, dressed in the coolest suits you’ve ever seen, with dreams of opening a juke joint. They put it together, in one night, with the help of their guitarist cousin Sammie (Miles Caton), and up facing some truly surprising foes.
The film looks amazing, plays with a wide variety of ideas, and is one of the most sonically impressive films in recent memories. I’d put it slightly behind Creed in the rankings of Coogler’s films, which also include the two Black Panther pictures as well as Fruitvale Station. But it’s clearly one of the best movies of 2025.
But ahead of the film’s opening on Friday, the question is being raised: Can Sinners connect with audiences? Can it be a big hit?
Box Office
The massive success of A Minecraft Movie, which ended a long box office losing streak for Warner Bros Discovery — also the studio that’s releasing Sinners — has once again proven William Goldman’s old Hollywood maxim that “nobody knows anything.” Sure, Minecraft looked like a hit, but I don’t think anyone saw its massive receipts, or the “chicken jockey” phenomenon, coming.
The film seems likely to have positive word of mouth, and to especially connect with Black audiences. Coogler has a record of his films doing fairly well, as does Michael B. Jordan. The film has a lot in common with the films so far of Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us, and Nope), all of which were horror films that played with multiple genre ideas.
That said, it could prove a hard sell. Sinners isn’t based on any existing, pre-sold intellectual property. The plot is kind of hard to describe in one or two sentences, and someone seeing a commercial or even a trailer isn’t likely to get exactly what the movie is about. There are a lot of great surprises, and it might be good to not know much going in. But whether that gets people into the theater is another question.
I don’t expect Sinners to beat out A Minecraft Movie this weekend, but I do think it’s likely to have legs as word of mouth picks up.
