Michael B. Jordan is used to the limelight; he made a splash at the box office with something darker and bloodier. His ambitious, R-rated Southern gothic horror movie 'Sinners clawed its way to a better-than-expected $61 million global opening, trouncing some heavy hitters and showing that original films are still standing.
A moody and atmospheric gorefest set in the 1930s Deep South, 'Sinners' follows the story of twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both played by Jordan), who open a jukejoint only to see their small town experience mystical havoc. A freaky mash-up of bluesy backroads and bloodsuckers, the film struck a chord with audiences and critics.
'Sinners' managed a miracle, receiving an A-grade rating from CinemaScore. According to Warner Bros., that's a trick that no horror movie has accomplished in more than 30 years. People are not only coming but also loving what they see.
'Sinners' flew ahead of the pack with its weight loss, leapfrogging a Minecraft Movie and ruling over proceedings for two straight weekends. This is not easy to achieve when the Minecraft franchise has a built-in audience the size of a small country, but Jordan's chilling story of brotherhood and bloodlust had sufficient bite to dig into the top spot.
Enter Ben Stiller, who had some serious side-eye for Variety via social media after the site posted a less-than-enthusiastic take on the film's opening numbers. Variety called the $61 million debut an impressive start but wasted no time downplaying the confidence by noting the film's $90 million production budget before marketing worldwide.
Stiller might have been drawn toward a tired reuse of him being right, but whatever! He condemned the tone, defended the film's box office performance, and, in his roundabout way, the worth of original storytelling in a seemingly sequel-reboot- and pixelated-video game-adaptation-dominant world.
Whether it becomes profitable soon or dies on the vine, 'Sinners' already has one thing many movies can't buy: audience buzz, critical respect, and the sort of cultural curiosity that might keep it in theaters for weeks to come. The vampires aren't the only ones who will be fed this weekend. Jordan's victory confirms that fresh, unafraid storytelling still has teeth.
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