'It doesn't stick to the rules': The reason Sinners has become a true box-office sensation18 hours agoShareSaveNicholas BarberShareSaveWarner Bros

After great reviews and buzz, Ryan Coogler's vampire film had an extraordinary second weekend at the box office. It's a victory for a wholly original big-budget film in a cinema landscape dominated by familiar franchises.

In less than a fortnight since it was released, Sinners has already made more money at the US box office than Disney's Snow White. Could Ryan Coogler's vampire film go on to overtake two more of this year's Disney hits, Mufasa: The Lion King and Captain America: Brave New World? It's definitely possible. The Hollywood Reporter calls Sinners a "rule-defying" proposition that "continues to defy all the odds", because it was almost as lucrative in its second weekend in US cinemas as it was in its first, earning $45m (£34m) against its opening $48m (£36m). "Put another way, Sinners boasts the smallest second-weekend decline for any film opening north of $40m since 2009's Avatar and the smallest ever for an R-rated horror title," says the article. Meanwhile The Wrap predicts that it will be "the highest-grossing original live-action film in the US since Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity in 2013". Its current worldwide box office total stands at $161m (£120m), against a $90m (£67m) budget, and it likely has a long distance left to run. Sinners is a winner – just a week after a sceptical article by Variety sniffed that "profitability remains a question mark".

Because it isn't a generic, IP-based exercise, audiences know that they're going to discover more on a second viewing

Perhaps this shouldn't come as a shock. The director of Creed and the Black Panther films, Coogler is adept at taking familiar Hollywood genres (sports drama, superhero blockbuster) and putting his own distinctive-yet-crowd-pleasing stamp on them. But he has gone a step further than usual this time. Featuring Michael B Jordan as a pair of twins defending their juke joint from vampires, Sinners is a horror film – but it's also a blues musical, a gangster thriller and a deeply-researched period drama about Mississippi in the 1930s. It doesn't stick to the rules of one particular genre, and it isn't based on existing intellectual property (IP), so audiences don't come to it knowing how it's all going to play out. Thanks also to some carefully-vague trailers, viewers get to discover the story for themselves – which is an increasingly rare treat. Reviewing a new Hollywood film often comes down to answering one question: "Is it slightly better or slightly worse than every other Marvel/ DC/ Star Wars/ Alien /Jurassic World/ King Kong film I've seen?" But Sinners is idiosyncratic enough to prompt other questions, which may explain its box office momentum, as word-of-mouth has spread.

This unorthodox quality is a sign of the freedom that Coogler felt when he was making it. All of his previous films were adapted from other material – or from true events, in the case of his debut, Fruitvale Station – but he told The Atlantic that with Sinners, he didn't want to use IP as "something to hide behind". He wanted to make the most personal film he could – a "love letter" to a late uncle from Mississippi – and that meant a film which didn't follow conventions.

More like this:

• 10 of the best films of 2025 so far

• The best films to watch in April

• Warfare review: it 'does what film does best'

In some ways it could be filed alongside two other films with "must-see" and "must-talk-about" appeal, 2024's The Substance and 2023's Saltburn. Sinners is a far bigger commercial success than they were, but each offer transgressive, sexually charged, gore-smeared excitement, none of them is based on a superhero comic, a video game or an earlier film, and each expresses the vision of a writer-director being allowed to do their own thing. (And their titles all begin with S, but that could be a coincidence.) The fact that it is so tricky to say which genre they belong to is a key factor. Is The Substance primarily a body-horror film or a Hollywood satire? Is Saltburn a crime thriller or a class comedy? All of these films stir different ingredients together to cook something unexpected. As Coogler put it to The Atlantic: "I wanted it to feel like you were reading Salem's Lot while listening to the best blues record, eating a bowl of spicy gumbo."

That could be why, anecdotes suggest, many people are already paying to see Sinners more than once. Because it isn't a generic, IP-based exercise, they know that they're going to discover more on a second viewing. And they know that they're going to have a good time while they're doing it. Maybe if they go for third and fourth viewings, too, Hollywood might decide that original, auteur-driven, big-budget films shouldn't be quite as rare in the cinema landscape as they are today.

--

If you liked this story sign up for The Essential List newsletter, a handpicked selection of features, videos and can't-miss news, delivered to your inbox twice a week.

For more Culture stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.

HollywoodFilm industryAwards WatchComment & AnalysisNews FeaturesWatchLemur mom has ingenious idea to save newborn from ticks

Newly discovered behaviour shows a group of lemur mothers inventing a self-medication method involving ants.

3 hrs agoNatural wondersUncovering a hangar full of rare historic campervans

Watch what happens when we try to take one of the world's oldest motor homes, a 1935 Pontiac, for a spin.

1 day agoThe Travel ShowLilly Sabri talks after two year silence on social media

The fitness influencer went silent after a story about her fiancee allegedly cheating went viral.

4 days agoWorld of BusinessHighly unlikely for tariffs to be ratcheted up, expert says

David Waddell says markets have sniffed out that there are reasons to be less pessimistic in this environment.

4 days agoOpening BellWeek in Markets - 25 Apr 2025

A weekly summary of the big stories from financial markets around the world.

4 days agoWorld of BusinessExploring the desert secrets of a lost Nabataean world

An art critic uncovers mysteries from this ancient culture within Saudi Arabia's sandy landscape.

4 days agoCulture & ExperiencesThe tech that can help you pick better perfumes

Can AI help this BBC reporter simplify her perfume choices?

5 days agoTech NowWatch rare Gobi bear's reaction to finding water

So rare they were thought to be a myth and undertake arduous journeys of up to 100 miles to find water.

6 days agoNatural wondersThe spectacle of a great Pelican feeding bonanza

The dam at Marsh Lake, Minnesota, has created an unexpected opportunity for pelicans.

7 days agoNatural wondersThe ancient history of Iceland's warring Viking families

The Travel Show visits an immersive experience that brings to life a brutal battle between Iceland's Vikings.

21 Apr 2025The Travel ShowYannick Nézet-Séguin: From child podigy to modern maestro

The renowned conductor and music director of the Met Opera reveals how a calling became his lifelong journey.

21 Apr 2025Arts in MotionExplore the tiny biodegradable pacemaker for newborns

Researchers have created a pacemaker smaller than a grain of rice that does not require open surgery to implant.

18 Apr 2025InnovationWhy you might be younger than you think you are

There is a difference between our chronological and biological age, which we have the power to control.

16 Apr 2025Health DecodedMalaysian trade minister on US tariffs

Malaysia's minister Zafrul Aziz will be representing the ASEAN bloc in its negotiations with the US.

16 Apr 2025World of BusinessTen striking images of an Earth scarred by humans

From a shipwrecking yard in Bangladesh to a river of iron dioxide in Canada, a deep dive in Ed Burtynsky's work.

16 Apr 2025EarthUp-close with giant river otters as they learn how to fish

It takes three years for an otter cub to master the complexities of a successful hunt.

15 Apr 2025World of wonderA historic look at the iconic VW campervan

The Travel Show sets off on a journey to celebrate an instantly recognisable travel icon, the VW campervan.

14 Apr 2025The Travel ShowWeek in Markets - 11 Apr 2025

A weekly summary of the big stories from financial markets around the world.

11 Apr 2025World of BusinessInside one of the world's most remote restaurants

'Off-Map Destination' winner Wolfgat offers a menu made from hyper-local and foraged ingredients.

11 Apr 2025World's Table'Economic uncertainty will lower investment' - 11 Apr 2025

Tech sector venture capitalist says the global economic uncertainty will mean less investment for private equity.

11 Apr 2025Opening BellMore1 hr agoCan Mount Everest really be climbed in a week?

An expedition is planning to take clients up the world's tallest mountain in record time with xenon gas. But some in the climbing and medical world worry it is an unnecessary gamble.

1 hr agoFuture22 hrs agoThe Fibonacci sequence achieved by Liverpool's win

Liverpool FC's victory at the weekend has produced a strange series of numbers in the league's record books.

22 hrs agoFuture4 days agoIs resurrecting extinct animals a good idea?

The creation of three "dire wolf" pups has raised hopes that it may be possible to resurrect extinct animals. But some scientists have grave concerns.

4 days agoFuture6 days agoThe race against time to save US climate data

Swathes of scientific data deletions are sweeping across US government websites – with decades of research at risk. Now, scientists are racing to save their work before it's lost.

6 days agoFuture7 days agoThe 'anti-Bollywood' films fighting against sexism

Sister Midnight, Santosh and All We Imagine as Light are part of a new wave of female-centred Indian films challenging the roles of traditional Bollywood heroines.

7 days agoCulture