Warner Bros. and Ryan Coogler have much to celebrate with the success of the filmmaker’s hit vampire movie. After Sinners‘ opening weekend, the Hollywood Reporter shared that it raked in $48 million domestically, which bodes well for original filmmaking and the studios still game to support it.
Sinners was a gamble that Warner Bros. movie heads Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca are seeing pay off. Speaking to THR, De Luca said, “We kind of knew we had the goods just in terms of having watched the director’s cut. But to have the audience validate that— that’s really what’s giving us the most joy today. We’re also happy that as an original swing, it’s worked out and we hope it inspires the other studios to take more original swings because that’s how you get new franchises and keep the industry refreshed.”
Warner Bros. boss David Zaslav called the producing team to congratulate the duo—”He was very proud of the group and very happy with the result,” De Luca said—putting to bed recent rumors that Abdy and De Luca were on their way out at the studio. Also not going anywhere, at least once he’s finished Black Panther 3 for Marvel, is Coogler. “That’s the long-term play … and I just spoke to him this morning,” De Luca said. “He will absolutely be back [to make more movies at Warner Bros.].”
As for Coogler, he penned a heartfelt thank-you to everyone who took the time out to see the film. The letter was shared by Proximity Media on X and it thanks fans for buying tickets, carving the time out to see it in any of the formats available, and taking part in the discourse the film inspires.
“I had the gift of the opportunity of making a film inspired by my family and my ancestry but it was always a film that we wanted to make for audiences, in theaters,” Coogler wrote. “We always had our minds on you, the audience, and felt a deep responsibility to entertain you, and move you in the way only cinema can.”
“I believe in cinema. I believe in the theatrical experience. I believe it is a necessary pillar of society. It’s why me and so many of my colleagues have dedicated our lives to the craft. We don’t get to do what we do if you don’t show up. The global theatrical audience has allowed me to dream, find a career, and build a more sustainable life for me and my family. And the only way that I know how to thank you for that, is by continuing to mine my personal human experience and my relationships for more stories to bring to you in cinematic language. To see your response to the film has re-invigorated me and many others who believe in this art form.”
Thank YOU! pic.twitter.com/e9X0RUIIdI
— PROXIMITY MEDIA (@proximitymedia) April 22, 2025
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