FILM · 2025 · USA
Sinners
- Directed by
- Ryan Coogler
- Runtime
- 138 min
- Studio
- Warner Bros. Pictures, Proximity Media, Domain Entertainment
219 archived facts 8 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.
Summary: TMDB
Sinners — Career & Awards (18 facts)
- #067
Director Ryan Coogler was also reported to have asked studios for first-dollar gross, final cut privilege and ownership of the film 25 years after its release in exchange for the distribution rights. The last of these is very rare in today's franchise-driven filmmaking world. It is largely a symbol of Coogler's influence. The following month, Warner Bros. won the film's distribution rights, and the director saw his influence grow further with the film's great success and 16 Oscar nominations.
- #083
Contains a major spoiler — show
It is meaningful that Smoke's birth name is Elijah. In the Bible, Elijah was the prophet who foretold that King Ahab and Queen Jezebel would be killed and that dogs would drink their blood. Moreover, Elijah was told he would see God in a moment of doubt, but instead of finding Him in fire or wind, he found Him in a sound. Stack's birth name is Elias; Elias is the Greek version of Elijah. The two brothers are in fact mirror images of each other in every respect. Likewise, Sammie's name is a simplified form of Samuel. In the Bible, Samuel was the prophet who anointed the first King of Israel, Saul, and then brought him down. Samuel's prophetic career began when he heard the voice of God.
- #091
Delroy Lindo said this film brought him his first Oscar nomination: "It resonates so, so deeply because it's so real and many people are expressing their joy for me and enjoying this moment. It's beautiful."
- #111
With Sinners, Ryan Coogler became the seventh Black filmmaker nominated for the Best Director Oscar, following John Singleton for Boyz n the Hood (1991), Lee Daniels for Precious (2009), Sir Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave (2013), Barry Jenkins for Moonlight (2016), Jordan Peele for Get Out (2017) and Spike Lee for BlacKkKlansman (2018). None of these seven won.
- #129
The film received 16 Oscar nominations, more than any film in history, surpassing All About Eve (1950), Titanic (1997) and La La Land (2016), each of which had 14 nominations. The film was nominated in every eligible category except Best Actress in a Leading Role.
- #130
With Sinners, Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. She is also the first Black woman ever nominated in the category and the fourth woman overall, following Rachel Morrison for Mudbound (2017), Ari Wegner for The Power of the Dog (2021) and Mandy Walker for Elvis (2022).
- #157
With this film, Ryan Coogler became the second Black filmmaker to win the Best Original Screenplay Oscar, after Jordan Peele with another horror film, Get Out (2017).
- #163
Among the cast there is one Oscar winner, Michael B. Jordan, and three Oscar nominees: Delroy Lindo, Wunmi Mosaku and Hailee Steinfeld; Jordan, Lindo and Mosaku received their first nominations for this film.
- #164
The film was nominated for four Critics' Choice Super Awards, including Best Horror Movie, Best Actor in a Horror Movie for Michael B. Jordan, Best Actress in a Horror Movie for Wunmi Mosaku and Best Villain in a Movie for Jack O'Connell.
- #169
It won four Oscars, placing second among any horror film after The Silence of the Lambs (1991), which won five.
- #170
This film and Frankenstein (2025) are the eighth and ninth horror films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. The first seven are: The Exorcist (1973), Jaws (1975), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), The Sixth Sense (1999), Black Swan (2010), Get Out (2017) and The Substance (2024). Of these films, only The Silence of the Lambs (1991) won.
- #171
For this film, Michael B. Jordan and Wagner Moura, for Gizli Ajan (2025), became the seventh and eighth people nominated for an Oscar for playing multiple characters in the same film, after the following: * Sir Charles Chaplin - The Great Dictator (1940) * José Ferrer - Moulin Rouge (1952) * Peter Sellers - Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) * Lee Marvin - Cat Ballou (1965) * Klaus Maria Brandauer - Out of Africa (1985) * Nicolas Cage - Adaptation. (2002) Of these eight, only Marvin and Jordan won, and Sellers is the only one nominated for playing more than two characters.
- #174
The film became one of the earliest Oscar nominees. This is somewhat unusual given that the film was released in the spring and is a horror film. Most Oscar-related films come out late in the year, and horror films are generally not favored. It later became the most nominated film in Oscar history with 16 nominations, including Best Picture.
- #178
The film is one of two horror films nominated for the 2026 Golden Globes. The other is Frankenstein (2025). This is generally unusual given that horror films are not favored at elite award ceremonies. Both films were nominated in many of the same categories, including Best Motion Picture - Drama for both films, Best Director - Motion Picture for Ryan Coogler for this film and Guillermo del Toro for Frankenstein (2025), Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama for Michael B. Jordan for this film and Oscar Isaac for Frankenstein (2025), and Best Original Score - Motion Picture for Ludwig Göransson for this film and Alexandre Desplat for Frankenstein (2025).
- #179
With this film, Michael B. Jordan, and with Weapons (2025), Amy Madigan, became the seventh and eighth actors to win an Oscar for a performance in a horror film, after the following films: * Fredric March - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) * Ruth Gordon - Rosemary's Baby (1968) * Kathy Bates - Misery (1990) * Sir Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster - The Silence of the Lambs (1991) * Natalie Portman - Black Swan (2010).
- #191
Contains a major spoiler — show
With this film, Michael B. Jordan became the second actor nominated for an Oscar for a vampire role, after Willem Dafoe with Shadow of the Vampire (2000). Jordan became the first actor to win the award for playing a vampire.
- #194
Contains a major spoiler — show
When Remmick takes Sammie hostage and prepares to kill him, Sammie strikes him hard on the head with his guitar in self-defense. The guitar shatters on impact, and the instrument's decorative silver resonator plate lodges in Remmick's head, causing him severe pain and weakening him. After Remmick is finally killed by Smoke at the end of the massacre, Sammie goes to his father's church for comfort, still holding the broken neck of the guitar, the only thing left of the instrument; he cannot let it go because it helped save his life. Although his father Jedidiah insists that Sammie discard the remains, he does not comfort his son. That is when Sammie decides to move on, continue his life and begin his music career. As he drives away, shaken but happy, the broken guitar neck is on the back seat, and it becomes his purpose to live his own life. Sixty years later, during Stack and Mary's visit to Sammie's club "Pearline," Sammie at one point takes out his guitar and plays and sings some music for them. The guitar is shown to have been repaired and restored to its original style.
- #201
After winning the Best Actor Oscar for this film, Michael B. Jordan went to an In-N-Out restaurant to celebrate once the ceremony had ended. Most of the customers congratulated and applauded him. Jordan signed autographs for some customers and employees before eating and chatting with them, and the moments were filmed by many people in the restaurant and went viral on social media.
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