Is Sinners based on a true story? How the movie is dominating the box office

Ryan Coogler‘s new film Sinners has been making headlines ever since its release and after earning a whopping $48 million during its domestic opening weekend alone. The horror blockbuster stars Michael B. Jordan, who served double duty as twins Smoke and Stack, two gangsters.

Sinners also stars Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo, and Miles Caton. While the movie shines a light on various realities of life in the Klan-infested South in the early 20th century, many have been wondering whether it is based on a true story.

Is Sinners based on a true story?

Sinners is not based on a true story, but the project did draw inspiration from real life events that took place during the 1930s. Coogler described the project as a “heart on the sleeve” feat during a conversation with Indiewire.

Coogler claimed that he was influenced by stories his late Uncle James told him about growing up in Mississippi. James died while Coogler was filming Creed in Philadelphia. At the time, the filmmaker started listening to blues music, his uncle’s favorite genre, to try and cope with the loss.

“It all started with the fact that I would listen to that blues music to think about my uncle, and I thought, ‘Man, who was he thinking about when he was listening to it?’ Did he listen to that [music] and was it people that he was conjuring?” Coogler said.

Coogler also said that he “skipped over the American South” when reconnecting with his ancestors while he was in Africa for the Black Panther films. However, he tapped into his “trans-generational” community to hear stories about what they experienced while working, dating, and living in Mississippi.

As part of his research, Coogler asked his grandmother about her first date with his grandfather. “It made me realize the youthful nature of these people, their virility and vitality,” he said, adding how present the film made the people of Clarksdale feel was inspired by this.

Coogler previously also shared the true story that inspired the twins’ roles. In the interview with The Breakfast Club, he revealed that he grew up around a pair of twins who always sat side by side, shoulder to shoulder, even while simply hanging out. This observation gave way to the eeriest dynamics in Sinners.

“They sit side by side, you know, I mean they are completely identical… you’ll notice this about identical twins who [are] rolling around, a lot of times they’ll be like touching each other,” Coogler said. “And I’m looking and I say, ‘Hey man, I noticed y’all be like touch each other… y’all close enough to each other to touch.’ And they like, ‘Yeah.’ And I’m like, ‘When y’all sit side by side like that, is that for me, or for y’all?’ They said, ‘It’s for you.’”

Coogler revealed that the twins told him they do it to keep people from getting thrown off. When they do not sit together people feel disturbed as they have to constantly shift their focus back and forth. However, they quickly split up if they sense danger.

“You know how in the old school when you shake hands you show both hands? That’s how they approach the world,” Coogler said. “And they say as soon as we have a problem with somebody… if we feel under threat… or someone get physical, the first thing they do is split up. So you have to turn your head to see the other one.”

How is Sinners doing at the box office?

Forbes reported that Sinners dominated the weekend box office with a 10% drop from last weekend and nearly $45 million in receipts. The film owns the second-best second weekend for an R-rated horror movie after ‘It’ made $60.1M 3-day back in September 2017. It is also the third best second weekend for Coogler after Black Panther ($111.6M) and Wakanda Forever ($66.4M). The film notably also has the second-best hold for an R-rated horror movie at -13%, after Heart Eyes (+19%) and ahead of Get Out (-15%), according to Deadline.