‘Sinners’ Won’t Get A Sequel And That’s Exactly Why It Works

Despite speculation and wishes from fans of Ryan Coogler’s recent project, Sinners, the Oakland filmmaker, confirmed that this film wasn’t going to have any sequels or spinoffs. While some may find this decision surprising, especially after the film’s historic box office run, which grossed $341 million, many saw this decision as a welcome change in an industry that champions cinematic universes, reboots, and spin-offs. Coogler understands that, sometimes, the creative process on its own is enough, and, with much of his career involving him breathing life into several different serialized franchises, his decision comes across as bold and earned.

“I’ve been in a space of making franchise films for a bit, so I wanted to get away from that,” Coogler told Ebony. “I wanted the movie to feel like a full meal: your appetizers, starters, entrees and desserts, I wanted all of it there.”

Now, especially with a rep from Warner Bros. Discovery recently dismissing claims that a sequel was in the worksCoogler’s vision for an original standalone film serves as a stark contrast to the state of the diminishing returns found in other Hollywood franchises and films. Sinners, some might argue, achieved its success because it was something new and because that fresh unfamiliarity gave viewers something that they couldn’t expect or easily predict.

Franchise Burnout

Everywhere, you can see fans of different films, TV shows, etc., experiencing burnout for sequels and franchises that, at one point in time, started as original ideas that inevitably became serialized because of their overwhelming initial success. There’s been a shift in how people are consuming the films they watch, where previously reliable IPs were guaranteed to be a success, some have begun underperforming in reviews and at the box office, or even lost their goodwill amongst critics and fans alike. For example:

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is currently in its fifth phase. While it’s one of the most discussed IPs on the planet and has shown its success through films like Avengers: Endgame (2019) where it earned its #2 spot on the highest-grossing films of all time, bringing in $2.79 billion and a certified fresh at 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. Still, since then, many fans feel like the introduction of TV shows on Disney+ in addition to the films of their fourth and fifth phase has made keeping up with the story feel like homework instead of entertainment, coining the term “superhero fatigue.” By 2023, The Marvels had earned the MCU its lowest box office amount and Rotten Tomatoes score, at $210 million and 62% respectively, a stark decline.

Star Warsone of the most popular and iconic franchises in our cultural zeitgeist, has also suffered from fatigue. The Rise of Skywalker (2019) earned half of what The Force Awakens made, earning $1.077 billion and a certified rotten score of 51% in comparison to $2 billion and a certified fresh score of 93%. Since then, Disney has elected to focus on creating new Star Wars content through shows on Disney+, with several of their shows finding success and some, like The Acolytebeing cancelled after one season.

Harry Potter, while the franchise is still going strong with a reboot currently in the works, its spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them earned $814 million and a certified fresh score of 74%. Still, the film, which was originally standalone, turned into a trilogy and by its end Fantastic Beast: The Secrets of Dumbledore earned nearly half of the first films’ profits at $405 million and even getting a rotten score of 46%, something previously unprecedented for a franchise that help build and inspire the imaginations of an entire generation.

The Fast & Furious franchiseprobably the most well-known for its sequels on this list of examples, is still profitable, with its latest installment, Fast Xearning $710 million in 2023. Still, critics and fans alike wonder where else the franchise can go, since the cast has literally taken their cars into outer space at his point in the series. Some critics have even described the IP as “running on high octane fumes.”

The Beauty In Telling A Complete Story

Having the restraint to end something, the strength to say “enough,” when that something has the potential to become an IP with sequels that bring in large amount of cash, but also the potential for those sequels to become stretched thin or “trapped” following a specific formula to guarantee success, is proof that Coogler not only respects his characters and the story he wanted to and did tell, but also serves as proof that he respects his audience.

I’ve seen Sinners six times. I fell in love with the characters, with the music, with the cinematography. I even ran to see it in IMAX 70mm to get the full experience, even though I had already seen it five times before that. I completely understand the desire for more that a story like this invokes, but I also understand the beauty and strength in telling a finished story. We’re so used to watching films and shows that we know we will get a sequel or inevitably be renewed, but for Sinners, a film that’s so complete in what it wants to share with it’s audience, we can understand that a story doesn’t need speculation or expansion.

Sinners stands out by telling us that a singular story with a clear beginning, middle, and end is enough to leave us content and satisfied, viewer and director alike.