Sinners: A Surprising Start at the Box Office

The movie Sinners, a vampire film with a budget over 90 million dollars, had a strong start in its previews. It earned 4. 7 million dollars on Thursday night alone, with showings beginning at 3 PM. The audience response was overwhelmingly positive, with a 5-star rating on PostTrak and an 80% definite recommend. This high exit score suggests that the film could perform well over the weekend. The diversity of the audience was notable, with 46% Black, 30% Caucasian, 15% Latino and Hispanic, and 5% Asian viewers. This broad appeal could be a significant factor in its success. The film's preview earnings, however, were lower than some recent genre comparisons. For instance, 2022’s Nope made 6. 4 million dollars on its Thursday night and went on to earn 44. 3 million dollars in its opening weekend. Similarly, 2019’s Us brought in 7. 4 million dollars on its Thursday night and had a massive opening weekend of 71. 1 million dollars. The box office was already buzzing with activity due to Good Friday, with 72% of K-12 schools and nearly a third of colleges on break. This holiday timing benefited Warner Bros/Legendary’s A Minecraft Movie, which saw a 21% increase in its daily take over Wednesday, earning 6. 5 million dollars on Thursday. This pushed the film past the 300 million dollar mark domestically in just 14 days. In comparison, Super Mario Bros reached this milestone in 11 days, eventually ending its U. S. /Canada run at 574. 9 million dollars. A Minecraft Movie wrapped up its second week with 102. 9 million dollars. Sinners is set to open in 3, 308 theaters, including premium formats like Imax 70MM, Imax digital, 70MM, Dolby, PLFs, and motion seats. This wide release strategy aims to maximize its reach and appeal to a broad audience. Another film opening this weekend is Bleecker Street’s remake of The Wedding Banquet, starring Bowen Yang and Lily Gladstone. It will be shown in 1, 133 theaters and has received a 3-star rating from PostTrak audiences, with a 50% definite recommend. This is a significant difference in audience reception compared to Sinners. The rest of the weekend’s releases include The King of Kings, which earned 2. 4 million dollars on Thursday, up 15% from Wednesday, and has a total of 28 million dollars in its first week. The Amateur brought in 1 million dollars on Thursday, down 6%, with a total of 20. 1 million dollars in its first week. Warfare earned 891, 000 dollars on Thursday, also down 6%, with a total of 12 million dollars in its first week. Drop made 617, 000 dollars on Thursday, up 2%, with a total of 10. 1 million dollars in its first week.