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For the industry, the showing proves the film's reach has broadened beyond horror fans to mainstream audiences wanting to see what the hype is about. Last weekend, men made up 56% of the audience. This weekend, the gender divide narrowed to 50/50. Premium large format showings, like the 70mm IMAX screens, are also a big draw. IMAX screens worldwide accounted for some 21% of the second weekend globally, a nearly 9% increase from last weekend.

The original ensemble movie, starring Michael B. Jordan as twins, rode into theaters on a wave of great reviews. And, to be fair, “Sinners” isn’t simply a horror film: It blends elements of drama, action and musical into its southern gothic milieu.

“That’s one of the lowest second weekend holds for an overperforming wide release ever,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “It’s an absolute phenomenon."

Hollywood expects significant drop off in a movie's second week of release. Even a 50% dip is considered a solid number, baked into the movie math. When it's anything less than that, it's notable.

“You can buy a great opening weekend with marketing, but if a movie doesn’t have the goods, it’ll drop off," Dergarabedian said. “There's no greater barometer of success than a second weekend hold like this."

The film was produced by Coogler’s Proximity Media and Warner Bros., which handled the theatrical release. After some disappointments earlier in the year, it's the second major win for the studio after helped energize the box office earlier this month.

“Sinners” easily topped the biggest new competition this week: a sequel starring Ben Affleck and released by Amazon MGM Studios, which opened in third place with an estimated $24.5 million in its first weekend. Gavin O'Connor directed the film, which played in 3,610 theaters in North America. Audiences gave it a promising A- CinemaScore.

The film that beat “The Accountant 2” for second place was a 20-year-old Star Wars movie: “Revenge of the Sith.” The anniversary re-release took in an estimated $25.2 million over the weekend, with many sellouts reported, more than doubling last year’s release of “The Phantom Menace.” Internationally, it earned $17 million from 34 territories, giving it a $42.2 million global weekend. It's one of the top grossing re-releases ever.

“A Minecraft Movie” landed in fourth place with $22.7 million, bringing its domestic total to around $380 million.

The scary video game adaptation “Until Dawn” also opened this weekend to an estimated $8 million, rounding out the top five. Sony Pictures released the film, starring Ella Rubin and Michael Cimino, which has earned $18.1 million globally.

The “Minecraft” and “Sinners” wins have meant a huge boost for the April box office, which is up 102% from April 2024. The annual box office is also up over 10% from last year after running at a double-digit deficit in March. And this is all happening right before the industry’s summer movie season kicks off on May 2 with Disney’s “Thunderbolts(asterisk).”

“There cannot be a better opening act for the summer movie season than this weekend,” Dergarabedian said.

Top 10 movies by domestic box office

With final domestic figures due Monday, the following list factors in estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:

1. “Sinners,” $45 million.

2. “Revenge of the Sith,” $25.2 million.

3. “The Accountant 2,” $24.5 million.

4. “A Minecraft Movie,” $22.7 million.

5. “Until Dawn,” $8 million.

6. “The King of Kings,” $4 million.

7. “The Amateur,” $3.8 million.

8. “Warfare,” $2.7 million.

9. “Pink Floyd at Pompeii -- MCMLXXII,” $2.6 million.

10. “The Legend of Ochi,” $1.4 million.