Over the Easter weekend Ryan Coogler, director of films like Fruitvale Station and Black Panther, struck gold with his auteur horror film Sinners. What’s truly interesting about this is that Coogler and the film’s producers, Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian, used a different model of distribution compared to the classic one that has worked in the past.
The film was backed by Warner Brothers, the renowned studio known for its movies like the Harry Potter films, Interstellar, and all things DC. Warner, and the other studios, is known for its specific distribution model. Finish the film, go shop the film at a festival like Sundance or South by Southwest, then get it picked up by a streaming service or a distributor, after that the PR cycle takes off: interviews and any other media coverage, finally a small theatrical release and/or straight to streaming.
What makes Sinners different is Coogler’s approach, he used his acclaim and reputation as a renowned director in order to build up audience’s attention. After that he systematically released trailers in order to stir up interest, as well as interviews to let true film fans into his creative and thought process. Sinners did not debut or premiere at any film festivals; there was no press tour. As far as critics were concerned, Coogler was not. The film’s release felt closer to something like an event, like how movies used to feel, by not relying on the media and allowing the community of fans to bring themselves to the seats to see a great film.
While Ryan Cogler is not the first to break free from the traditional distribution and marketing, Sinners stands out as one of the more successful modern examples. Films like the remake of Stephen King’s 1977 horror classic Carrie and The Blair Witch Project famously relied on unorthodox marketing – Carrie with its shocking TV ads and viral Youtube video, Blair Witch with its groundbreaking creation of an online rumor – to build buzz and pull audiences into theaters. However, Sinners represents an evolution of that strategy in today’s media-saturated world.
What Coogler achieved wasn’t just clever marketing; it was a complete reframing of how to build anticipation for a film in an era where audiences are used to months of spoilers, endless press tours, and oversaturation. By stepping back from the traditional media cycle and allowing the film itself — and the mystery around it — to generate word-of-mouth, Coogler reignited the feeling that going to the movies can still be a genuine event.