Cooglermania: How Sinners is Ushering in a New Era of Film

Let’s face it: the film industry was getting redundant. It felt like every movie was an adaptation, remake, or sequel, and audiences were yearning for something original. 

Enter Ryan Coogler. After commercial success with the Black Panther movies and Creed, and critical success with Fruitvale Station, Judas and the Black Messiah, Coogler finally made his first full-length film with an entirely original plot: Sinners. No one could have predicted the effect it would have on the film industry.

Following the tradition of Blade and Vampire in Brooklyn, Coogler made a Black vampire movie. Departing from tradition, he included poignant cultural details that have started conversations about American culture.

The film follows Smoke and Stack, identical twins who move back to Mississippi from Chicago to open a juke joint, but face opposition from the KKK and, of course, vampires. From Mary, Smoke and Stack’s white-passing childhood friend, to a spotlight on the thriving Chinese community in the Mississippi Delta, and the dance scenes that celebrated West African and Irish traditions, Coogler made a film that makes people rethink how they see America, without making the movie entirely about race. He forced audiences to reconsider their understanding of the structure of Jim Crow America and recognise the wide array of foreign influences on American cultural practices.

Audiences loved it, with the film well on track to make over $100 million. Part of the film’s appeal is its enhancement when shown in IMAX, as 20% of opening weekend revenue came from IMAX theatres. It is Coogler’s talent that helps audiences feel as though they are part of the action, and Sinners is revitalising the horror genre by using modern technologies to bring to life a Hollywood favourite.

Perhaps the most groundbreaking aspect of Sinners is the deal Coogler signed with Warner Bros. to make the film. Not only did he have control over the film’s final cut (axing the need for a hallowed director’s cut), he will receive earnings from the film immediately, not after Sinners turns a profit. The most important part of the deal, however, has to do with ownership. After 25 years, all of the rights to Sinners will return to Coogler, making him the sole owner of the film.

Why is this significant? The studio system depends on studios having the rights to a movie for life. That way, when there are reruns, re-screenings, or even DVD purchases, the studio is the main, and sometimes sole, beneficiary. This is how sequels, prequels, and spinoffs can be created without input from the director; a dead director’s idea can be used by a studio indefinitely. Coogler’s deal means Warner Bros. will not be able to generate revenue from the film forever, following in the footsteps of Quentin Tarantino, who struck a similar deal for his film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. 

Critics are not quite sure what to do with Coogler’s Warner Bros. deal. While some have praised it as a victory for ownership, others are worried it could destroy the film industry as we know it. An anonymous Hollywood executive expressed fears that studios could lose millions of dollars in revenue if more directors seek deals like Cooglers. Others see the collapse of the studio system as inevitable. With the rise of streaming and AI fracturing director-studio relationships, filmmakers are looking for more creative control and guaranteed releases for their films. With so many options for releasing movies, directors have room to negotiate, and they are taking back the reins from major studios.

From commentaries on American culture, to conversations about artistic ownership and the film industry, Sinners has evolved from a simple horror movie to a cultural phenomenon. In an era where sequels rule and originality falters, Ryan Coogler has defied conventions and left an undeniable mark on the film industry.