Sinners upsets $721M juggernaut A Minecraft Movie at box office amid fears it ‘could end the studio system’

Sinners from director Ryan Coogler, starring Michael B. Jordan as twins, was atop this weekend box office in what was considered an upset over A Minecraft Movie.

The horror/adventure move garnered $45.6 million in North American theaters, studio officials said, according to the AP.

The Warner Bros. movie came with a price tag estimated at $90 million for the filmmaker Coogler, whose past credits include Black Panther and Creed.

Coogler’s deal awarding him a percentage of gross ticket sales- and ownership of the film following a 25 year span – has started a ‘very dangerous’ precedent, rival studio execs told Vultures, 

The execs said that the business arrangement ‘could be the end of the studio system’ as creatives are financially enriched at a level like never before. 

The motion picture, which is set in 1932, was centered around twins Smoke and Stack, who run a business in Mississippi.

The movie also Miles Caton, Saul Williams, Andrene Ward-Hammond, Jack O’Connell, Tenaj L. Jackson, David Maldonado, Percy Bell and Aadyn Encalarde. 

The film, which was well-received by critics, was screened at 3,308 North American theaters, Variety reported Sunday. 

‘This is an excellent opening for a period horror film,’ FranchiseRe consultant David A. Gross told the outlet. ‘It should have a good run now.’

Gross said that the money invested in the motion picture ‘is going to cast a long shadow and set a high bar to profitability.’

Imax CEO Rich Gelfond said of collaborating with Coogler on the movie: ‘It’s been an awesome ride partnering with Ryan on this highly acclaimed, magnificently shot film.’

He told Variety, “We couldn’t be happier that Imax played a part in a successful opening for Sinners.”

A Minecraft Movie garnered $41.3 million in its third week of circulation in theaters.

The film adapted from the video game stars Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Sebastian Hansen, Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks and Jennifer Coolidge.

According to a logline for the movie, ‘Four misfits are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into a bizarre cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination.

‘To get back home they’ll have to master this world while embarking on a quest with an unexpected expert crafter.’

The film has been Tinseltown’s most profitable in 2023, garnering $720.8 million worldwide for Warner Bros. and production partner Legendary Pictures.

Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chairs Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca, issued in a statement hearkening the studio’s Easter weekend success, as the AP reported it ate up 64 percent of the total domestic box office.

‘Movies have the power to transport us to worlds only seen on the big screen,’ the tandem said.

They added: ‘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.’