NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Brand names, not filmmakers or stars, are said to rule the box office these days. But led by twin Michael B. Jordans, proved a bloody exception to modern movie rules, launching with $45.6 million in ticket sales in U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday.
鈥淪inners,鈥� a Warner Bros. release that cost about $90 million to produce, was a bold gamble on originality 鈥� albeit with genre elements 鈥� and one of the most bankable American directors in Coogler. The 鈥淐reed鈥� and 鈥淏lack Panther鈥� director wrote and produced 鈥淪inners,鈥� a 1932-set vampire movie about bootlegging brothers (both played by Jordan) who open a juke joint in their Mississippi hometown.
鈥淎 Minecraft Movie,鈥� , followed close behind in second, collecting $41.3 million in its third week of release. That gave Warner Bros., after a handful of disappointments, an enviable one-two punch at the box office with one original, director-driven movie and one IP-based property.
鈥淎 Minecraft Movie,鈥� which Warner Bros. co-produced with Legendary Pictures, has amassed $720.8 million worldwide in three weeks of release.
Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca, co-chairs of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, celebrated the two films鈥� resonance with moviegoers. The studio accounted for a remarkable 64% of the domestic box office for the Easter weekend.
鈥淢ovies have the power to transport us to worlds only seen on the big screen, and Warner Bros. Pictures remains committed to bringing singular in-theater experiences to audiences looking for bold movies, both original and those based on beloved existing properties,鈥� Abdy and De Luca said in a statement Sunday.
But all eyes were on the performance on 鈥淪inners,鈥� which Warner Bros. went to extreme lengths to secure. Abdy and De Luca agreed to give Coogler not just a cut of gross ticket sales but ownership of the film after 25 years 鈥� a virtually unheard of concession.
But Coogler and Jordan, whose collaborations stretch back to make up one of the industry鈥檚 most potent director-actor duos. (98% 鈥渇resh鈥� on Rotten Tomatoes) were stellar for 鈥淪inners鈥� and audiences, too, were enthralled by its supernatural twists. The film earned an 鈥淎鈥� CinemaScore from moviegoers.
Overseas, 鈥淪inners鈥� faced a more uphill battle. It collected $15.4 million in 71 international markets. Domestically, 鈥淪inners鈥� attracted a diverse audience: 38% Black, 35% white, 18% Hispanic and 5% Asian.
Before 鈥淪inners,鈥� dual roles had been rough business for Warner Bros. The studio saw flops in both (a period gangster film featuring a doubled Robert De Niro) and (a sci-fi movie with two Robert Pattinsons).
But the strong opening for 鈥淪inners,鈥� which should be sustained in the coming weeks given the strong word of mouth, cements Coogler鈥檚 place as one of a handful of filmmakers whose name draws big audiences. Another would be , whose 鈥淣ope鈥� (2022) debuted similarly with $44.3 million.
Angel Studios鈥� 鈥淭he King of Kings,鈥� an animated tale of Jesus鈥� life aimed at Christian audiences, capitalized on the Easter weekend, grossing $17.2 million in its second week of release. That was nearly equal to its opening weekend ($19.1 million), and brought 鈥淭he King of Kings鈥� to a domestic total of $45.3 million.
Bleecker Street鈥檚 鈥淭he Wedding Banquet,鈥� opened on 1,142 North American screens with $922,906 in ticket sales. 鈥淭he Wedding Banquet,鈥� a hit at the Sundance Film Festival, stars Lily Gladstone, Bowen Yang, Kelly Marie Tran and newcomer Han Gi-chan.
Top 10 movies by domestic box office
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
1. 鈥淪inners,鈥� $45.6 million.
2. 鈥淎 Minecraft Movie,鈥� $41.3 million.
3. 鈥淭he King of Kings,鈥� $17.3 million.
4. 鈥淭he Amateur,鈥� $7.2 million.
5. 鈥淲arfare,鈥� $4.9 million.
6. 鈥淒rop,鈥� $3.4 million.
7. 鈥淐olorful Stage: The Movie,鈥� $2.8 million.
8. 鈥淧ride & Prejudice鈥� (2005), $2.7 million.
9. 鈥淭he Chosen: Last Supper,鈥� $1.8 million.
10. 鈥淪now White,鈥� $1.2 million.
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
