A Reality Check on ‘Sinners’s’ Box Office Success

We need more original movies!

Along come titles like “Mickey 17,” “The Alto Knights” and “Black Bag,” and each stumbles at the box office. The first two flopped in spectacular fashion.

Enter “Sinners.”

The film’s director, Ryan Coogler, previously delivered with two “Black Panther” films, “Fruitvale Station” and “Creed.” Now, he reinvents the vampire movie with a cool tale driven by bigotry, desire and, of course, blood.

It’s original, and it’s a blast.

Critics have raved about the film, and audiences are nodding right along. And while the film’s price tag is a hefty $90 million that shouldn’t be a problem moving forward. The film earned $47 million in its first frame stateside and will nearly match that this weekend.

That kind of a “hold” is very uncommon.

All of the above is good news for Hollywood, which is frantic about its economic future and the loss of L.A.-based jobs.

So where’s the problem?

Let’s start with Coogler. He’s an uncommon talent, a relatively young auteur (38) who works at a consistently high level. His movies are becoming events, not unlike the anticipation surrounding a Christopher Nolan release.

Coogler can’t make a movie a year, though. He needs time. And he’s one of a select group of filmmakers who bring something unusual to the screen.

Spielberg
Tarantino
Nolan
Scorsese
The Coen brothers
Peele* (assuming “Nope” was a misstep, not a trend line)

Hollywood craves this kind of must-see filmmaking, but studios must fill out their slate with stories told by lesser visionaries. That’s not to insult the artists currently working in Hollywood. Their films can be brilliant, fascinating, unnerving and thought-provoking.

The reality is that few artists work at the very highest levels of their craft, and audiences often demand nothing less. After all, they’re just minutes away from a “Netflix and chill” evening.

It’s so much easier. And cheaper.

Plus, even the masters stumble. Ethan Coen’s “Drive Away Dolls” made this critic’s “worst of the year” list. And deservedly so. Spielberg has given us “1941,” “Always,” “The Terminal” and “The Fourth Indiana Jones Movie That Shall Not Be Named.”

Even the auteur theory falls on a separate level. Spielberg’s highly regarded “West Side Story” remake flopped in 2021.

“Sinners” works because it isn’t pushing audiences away with its storytelling prowess. It’s populist to the core, featuring flawed characters uniting against a common threat. Coogler wants to bring audiences along for the ride.

He’s giddy to do just that.

Perhaps this week offers a glimpse at a fruitful alternative. Movies like “Sinners,” made by the best of the best, rubbing elbows with nostalgia re-releases like “Revenge of the Sith.” The latter scored handsomely in theaters – $21 million – despite being 20 years old.

Oldies we can’t wait to revisit. New classics made by the best filmmakers in the industry. It’s not a solution to Hollywood’s entrenched economic woes.

But it’s a start.

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