Ben Stiller Pushes Back on Sinners Box Office Narrative in Viral Tweet

On April 20, the Severence director called out a viral tweet that claimed Sinners is still far from turning a profit—a narrative he described as completely misaligned with the film’s actual opening weekend success. 

Stiller responded to Variety's tweet, which read, "Sinners has amassed $61 million in its global debut. It's a great result for an original, R-rated horror film, yet the Warner Bros. release has a $90 million price tag before global marketing expenses, so profitability remains a ways away....." 

In his response to the Tweet, Stiller clapped back, "In what universe does a 60 million dollar opening for an original studio movie warrant this headline?" Stiller has made it clear he views the film’s opening weekend performance as a success worth celebrating.

According to Variety's article from April 20, Sinners has brought in over $61 globally from its opening weekend. 

Other stars have also expressed similar sentiments. 

On April 20, Patrick Schwarzenegger wrote, "It's opening weekend..." implying that the film’s profitability is far from settled and that Sinners is likely to earn significantly more in the coming days and weeks.

In what universe does a 60 million dollar opening for an original studio movie warrant this headline? https://t.co/rkFQxQNwMp

— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) April 21, 2025

Joe Russo wrote a similar Tweet, poking fun at the headline by making his own: "Variety: “WHY DIDN’T THE MOVIE MAKE ALL ITS BUDGET BACK IN THREE DAYS.”

In the words of CNN, Sinners "shattered" industry expectations at the box office with its $45.6 million domestic earnings. The outlet quoted Shawn Robbins, the director of movie analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory, as writing, "That star power for ‘Sinners’ (and) really kind of a fresh, original take on the vampire movie (genre) … helped bring out moviegoers..."

As of April 20, the film had performed well on Rotten Tomatoes, Certified Fresh with a 98% Tomatometer (critical reviews) and 97% Popcornmeter (audience reviews). 

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