Ryan Coogler Admits at Golden Globes to Not Knowing if People “Would Show Up” to See ‘Sinners’
The filmmaker joined producers Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian in accepting the award for cinematic and box office achievement for Warner Bros.' vampire feature.
While accepting the prize for cinematic and box office achievement at the 2026 Golden Globes, Sinners filmmaker Ryan Coogler expressed his appreciation that viewers were able to discover the Warner Bros. feature on the big screen.
Coogler took to the podium alongside fellow producers Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian, in addition to members of the cast. The vampire movie, which stars Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld and Jack O’Connell, collected $368.2 million at the global box office after hitting theaters in April.
The director admitted that making movies is not always glamorous and that he was unsure whether audiences would show up to see it.
“We don’t always, when we work in the film business, wear tuxedos and get glammed-out. It’s usually a grind,” Coogler told the crowd. “It was an honor on this movie to know that it was getting a theatrical release. We would remind people every day, in the dog days of summer in New Orleans — we would say, ‘Hey, big movie. People are going to see this — big theater.'”
He continued, “We didn’t know that they would show up, so we just want to say thank you that they did. It meant the world to us.”
The other nominees in the category included Avatar: Fire and Ash ($1.2 billion at the box office to date), F1 ($631.7 million), KPop Demon Hunters, Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning ($598.7 million), Weapons ($269 million), Wicked: For Good ($522.2 million to date) and Zootopia 2 ($1.6 billion to date).
This marks the third year for this Golden Globes category. The nominees had to have surpassed $150 million at the global box office and $100 million domestically to qualify. A streaming title was eligible if industry sources could confirm that it achieved equivalent digital streaming viewership.
Last year’s winner in the category was Wicked, which collected $758.7 million globally and went on to earn 10 Oscar nominations.
Nikki Glaser hosted the 2026 Golden Globes on Sunday from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. The ceremony can be seen live on CBS and Paramount+ With Showtime.
Golden Globes producer Dick Clark Productions is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge that also owns The Hollywood Reporter.