After the failure of “Mickey 17,” and “Alto Knights,” Warner Bros. might finally have one of its slated non-IP originals hit big at the box office this weekend.
Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” is now eyeing a 3-day opening that could land anywhere between $40–$50 million, according to projections. The film’s budget is around $100 million, and Puck claims it’ll need to end its run at $300 million to “break even.”
What’s motivating these big numbers for “Sinners”? Well, for one thing, it’s being sold as a horror movie—and the genre has been incredibly popular with audiences this decade. Add in Warner Bros.’ heavy marketing machine, and you’ve got a recipe for success.
It certainly helps that “Sinners” is earning glowing reviews from critics; it’s the most acclaimed big studio film of the year so far, boasting a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 83 on Metacritic. In an age when aggregate scores matter—for certain films, at least—to boost ticket sales, “Sinners” seems to have it in spades.
While James L. Brooks teased last year that "we'll soon be seeing" Jack Nicholson, 89, act again, and that he was "reading scripts," that idea has now been shut down by his close friend Michael Douglas, 82.