Warner Bros.’ period horror film SINNERS led the box office for the second consecutive weekend by selling an additional $45.0M in tickets over the past three days. The total box office for all movies was $146.5M, substantially higher than the $64.1M generated last year on this same weekend when the top movie was Amazon MGM’s tennis-themed movie CHALLENGERS, which took in $15.0M in its debut. There were four movies this weekend with higher grosses than CHALLENGERS’ $ 15.0 M.
The second quarter of 2025 is on a roll, with each of the four weekends this April surpassing the same weekends last year. The streak will continue when Disney and Marvel’s THUNDERBOLTS* touches down next weekend. Last year, Universal’s THE FALL GUY earned $27.7M in its opening frame, and experts are predicting THUNDERBOLTS* will sell at least $ 80 M. If it plays out, THUNDERBOLTS* on its own will earn more than the $73.9M earned by all movies on that weekend last year.
SINNERS held on to first place by dropping only 6% in its second weekend, a testament to its stellar reviews and strong appeal across many demographic groups. It has exceeded expectations, with 10-day totals of $122.5M domestic and $161.6M worldwide.
SINNERS is set in a racially-charged Mississippi town in 1932 and tells the story of two African American war veterans who return to their hometown to open a juke joint. While its appeal for Black moviegoers was expected, it has also drawn much interest from outside this core demographic.
Even though Black moviegoers made up a plurality of the audience at 38%, nearly two-thirds of its audience came from other ethnicities. This is similar to the profile for Jordan Peele’s racially charged horror thriller GET OUT from 2017.
Offering a sharp critique of race relations, it drew interest from a broad swath of the public and generated an impressive $176.0M at the domestic box office. GET OUT is the fourth highest domestic-grossing horror since 2017, after IT ($327.5M in 2017), IT CHAPTER 2 ($211.6M from 2019), and A QUIET PLACE ($188.0M from 2018). Based on its terrific start, SINNERS is now being compared to GET OUT.
SINNERS vs. GET OUT
- SINNERS (4/25/2025) – Domestic Opening $48.0M (3,308 locations), Domestic 2nd Weekend $45.0M (-6%), Domestic 10-day $122.5M, Budget $90M, RT Critics/Audience 98%/97%
- GET OUT (2/4/2017) – Domestic Opening $33.4 M (2,781 locations), Domestic 2nd Weekend $28.2M (-15%), Domestic 10-day $78.1M, Domestic Total $176.0M, Worldwide Total $255.4M, Budget $4.5M, RT Critics/Audience 96%/86%
SINNERS is already close to passing the $137.3M earned by Universal’s FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S in 2023, which would make it the highest-grossing horror film in the post-pandemic era. Its success is a positive sign for the industry, giving license for filmmakers to tell original stories as they see fit, without fear of losing audiences or studio support.
Disney 20th Anniversary Re-release of STAR WARS EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH finished in second place with $25.2M in the past three days. Disney is continuing to execute its strategy of offering reissues and remakes of its most important IP. One year ago, on May 3rd, Disney had a successful reissue of STAR WARS: EPISODE I – THE PHANTOM MENACE, which generated an opening weekend box office of $8.7M and a four-week total of $19.4M worldwide.
This time, Disney compressed the run for REVENGE OF THE SITH to less than one week, from last Friday to the upcoming Wednesday, so as not to compete with the release of their new Marvel movie THUNDERBOLTS*, which will have its first advanced screenings on Thursday.
Its limited availability has not hurt REVENGE OF THE SITH, as it easily outperformed last year’s THE PHANTOM MENACE release. One could argue that the short window added to the weekend numbers. Here is a comparison of these two recent STAR WARS movie re-releases.
RECENT STAR WARS RE-RELEASES
- STAR WARS: EPISODE III – REVENGE OF THE SITH (4/25/2025) – Domestic Opening $25.2M (2,775 locations), RT Critics/Audience 79%/66%
- STAR WARS: EPISODE I – THE PHANTOM MENACE (5/3/2024) – Domestic Opening $8.7m (3,332 locations), Worldwide Total $19.4M, RT Critics/Audience 54%/59%
Amazon MGM’s action thriller THE ACCOUNTANT 2 opened in third place with a box office of $ 24.5 M. Warner Bros. released the original THE ACCOUNTANT in 2016, which took in $155.6M worldwide on a production budget of only $ 44 M.
It is unusual for a studio not to make its sequel to a movie that has been profitable. Creating and then leveraging IP is a core tenet of the industry, since studios feel they have a greater chance of bringing audiences back to watch a new series chapter featuring well-known characters and styles.
In this case, the studio change of THE ACCOUNTANT 2 was driven by internal changes at Warner Bros. and proactive steps taken by its star Ben Affleck and director Gavin O’Connor. After the success of the original in 2016, plans were drawn up to create a sequel.
However, Warner Bros. became distracted from the project while it was caught up in internal changes that impacted its management team and strategic direction. A frustrated Affleck and O’Connor asked Warner Bros. to allow them to take their movie elsewhere, and eventually, the rights for future movies were given back to Affleck and his production company, Artists Equity. In the end, they chose to partner with Amazon MGM on its distribution.
Director Gavin O’Connor, screenwriter Bill Dubuque, and actor Ben Affleck all return for THE ACCOUNTANT 2, ensuring seamless continuity with the original. Affleck plays Christian Wolff, a math savant who works as a forensic accountant. Diagnosed with autism at a young age, Christian has extraordinary skill with numbers.
Having a quiet demeanor and a passion for routines and precision, he works as an accountant by day and a sleuth by night, uncovering details of the world’s most dangerous criminal organizations. In the movie, Christian teams up with Treasury agent Marybeth Medina and his estranged brother Braxton to investigate the murder of a Treasury official, uncovering a dangerous conspiracy.
Critics are much more favorable about the sequel than they were about the original, with Rotten Tomatoes scores of 78% now versus 53% then. Audiences are even more enthused, with an impressive 92% score. AP News describes the film as a modest improvement over its predecessor, highlighting the dynamic between Christian and Braxton. However, it notes a disorganized structure and inconsistent tone, awarding it two and a half stars out of four.
Collider commends the “wonderful and surprisingly sweet” chemistry between Christian and Braxton, emphasizing their brotherly bond as the film’s heart. RogerEbert.com appreciates the buddy dynamic between the brothers but criticizes the film’s pacing and lack of engaging villains, stating that it doesn’t build enough momentum.
With a production budget of $75M, the film will need to generate $188M in worldwide ticket sales to break even. To get there, it will have to outperform the worldwide sales of the original’s $155.6M by 21%, and based on the opening weekend of $24.5M, it is off to an equal start compared to the original. Here is an overview of the two films.
THE ACCOUNTANT 2 vs. THE ACCOUNTANT
- THE ACCOUNTANT 2 (4/25/2025 from Amazon MGM) – Domestic Opening $24.5M (3,610 locations), Budget $75M, RT Critics/Audience 78%/92%
- THE ACCOUNTANT (10/14/2016 from Warner Bros.) – Domestic Opening $24.7M (3,332 locations), Domestic Total $86.3M, Worldwide Total $155.6M, Budget $44M, RT Critics/Audience 53%/73%
Warner Bros.’ A MINECRAFT MOVIE finished in fourth place this weekend with $22.7M in new ticket sales, a decline of 44% from last weekend. The mayhem-inducing, live-action movie based on the best-selling video game has earned $380.0M domestic and $816.6M worldwide in its first 24 days. Here is how it compares to THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE from two years ago.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE vs. THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE
- A MINECRAFT MOVIE (4/4/2025) – Domestic Opening $162.8M (4,263 locations), Domestic 2nd Weekend $78.5M (-52%), Domestic 3rd Weekend $41.3M (-47%), Domestic 4th Weekend $22.7M (-44%), Domestic 24-day $380.0M, Budget $150M, RT Critics/Audience 47%/87%
- THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE (4/5/2023) – Domestic Opening $146.4 (4,343 locations), Domestic 2nd Weekend $92.3M (-37%), Domestic 3rd Weekend $59.9 (-35%), Domestic 4th Weekend $40.8M (-32%), Domestic 26-day $490.9M, Domestic Total $574.9M, Worldwide Total $1.361B, Budget $100M, RT Critics/Audience 59%/95%
A MINECRAFT MOVIE’s $380.0M gross makes it the domestic box office champ this year, approaching twice the total of the second-place finisher, CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD, which has earned $200.2M so far.
In fifth place is Sony’s psychological horror film UNTIL DAWN, which opened to $8.0M in its first three days. The film offers a unique take on the original 2015 video game. UNTIL DAWN is directed by David F. Sandberg, the Swedish filmmaker whose previous works have included ANNABELLE: CREATION (2017), a prequel in the CONJURING universe series, and SHAZAM! (2019), a light-hearted DC superhero movie about a teenage boy who transforms into an adult superhero.
In the movie, days repeat themselves in a way that is reminiscent of the 1993 romantic comedy GROUNDHOG DAY. Unlike that film, this one has a time-loop concept where characters relive the same night, facing different horrors each time. The story revolves around five friends as they venture into the remote Glore Valley to investigate the mysterious disappearance one year before of the sister of one of the characters in the group.
Upon exploring an abandoned visitor center, they are attacked and killed by a masked assailant, only to awaken at the start of the same evening. Trapped in a time loop, they face escalating supernatural threats. With each iteration, the group discovers they have a limited number of deaths before the loop becomes permanent, and their only escape is to survive until dawn. Filming took place in Budapest, with the city’s historic architecture, abandoned structures, and foggy forests providing an ideal backdrop for a haunting and mysterious storyline.
Critics are middling on the film with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 51% and an audience score of 70%. The Guardian finds the film efficient but lacking in genuine scares. Compared to innovative horror films like Ryan Coogler’s SINNERS, UNTIL DAWN is a conventional, low-stakes horror movie. Despite a likable young cast and polished direction, the film’s lack of originality and emotional depth renders it average and forgettable.
Polygon criticizes the film for attempting to blend numerous horror subgenres, resulting in an overcrowded and identity-lacking movie. While initial sequences showcase inventive horror set pieces, the film loses momentum by summarizing repeat death sequences via cell phone footage, missing opportunities for horror spectacle. The finale settles into generic horror territory, making the film feel tedious and uninspired.
On the other hand, GQ notes that UNTIL DAWN stands out among 2025’s video game adaptations for its creative approach. They commend the film for its original story within the game’s universe, with characters repeatedly dying and finding themselves in new horror genres.
By using unknown but likeable actors and shooting in Hungary, director Sandberg has done what he can to hold down production costs and has delivered the film for $15M, which means it only needs $38M in worldwide ticket sales to be profitable. With a domestic opening weekend of $8.0M, the film will need to keep most of its screens for the next three weeks to reach that goal. Unfortunately, UNITIL DAWN finds itself in the same marketplace as SINNERS, which has become the horror film of the moment.
Where Are We as of 4/24/2025
After the 16th week of 2025, the domestic box office stands at 109% compared to 2024 and 72% compared to 2019.
