In 2015, director Ryan Coogler was drowning in $200,000 in student loans, despite being on the brink of a cinematic breakthrough. He had already made a significant impact with his feature-length debut Fruitvale Station (2013), starring Michael B. Jordan, which chronicled the final hours of Oscar Grant’s life. Yet, in spite of the film’s critical acclaim, financial stability remained elusive.
"Back then, bro, I wasn't making no money," said Coogler during an episode of the WTF With Marc Maron podcast. "I was $200,000 in debt for film school. It was bad."
Still burdened by debt, Coogler undertook a major project with Creed, a spinoff of the Rocky franchise. With a modest budget of $35 million, the film opened on Thanksgiving weekend in 2015 and earned $42.6 million in its first five days. The sequels, particularly the third installment, exceeded box office expectations, further cementing Coogler’s reputation as a directing powerhouse.
When Black Panther hit theaters, with a formidable cast, including Chadwick Boseman, Coogler’s impact reached new heights. Building a fictional world that sparked a cultural phenomenon, the film was a groundbreaking celebration of Black culture. Moviegoers around the world dressed up in African-inspired clothing to see the film that became the highest grossing film directed by a Black filmmaker. It won three Oscars, which were the first Academy Awards ever for Marvel Studios.
In 2018, Coogler founded a multimedia production company, Proximity Media, focused on creating innovative content across film, television, music and podcasts. Under this banner, he produced Judas and the Black Messiah, which won two Academy Awards.
Now, Coogler’s latest production, Sinners, is catapulting him into box office history. The film enjoyed the biggest opening weekend for an original movie since the pandemic, earning $48 million domestically, and grossing an estimated $122.5 million in just nine days. With this milestone, Coogler is now the first Black director to have four films gross over $100 million domestically – Creed ($109M), Black Panther ($700M), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ($453M), and Sinners.
Set in 1930s Jim Crow-era Mississippi, Sinners is a critically acclaimed, genre-defying film that follows identical twins - played by Michael B. Jordan - who return home after years, only to confront a coven of vampires.
Blues music is central to the film, shaping its tone and setting. Coogler drew inspiration from his late uncle James, who passed away in 2015 and loved listening to Delta blues. “That act of listening to that music and feeling he was there with me is kind of what inspired the period setting and the blues. And that is why the movie is so personal," Coogler told Business Insider. This is why securing ownership of Sinners 25 years after its release was a stipulation in his deal with Warner Bros. While it will be the first of his feature films that he will own, Coogler explained to Business Insider that the request for ownership was driven more by personal symbolism than by power.
