Warner Bros Dominates Box Office with ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ Slashing $43M Debut; ‘Sinners’ Holds Strong in Week 5 at $15M
Horror continues to reign supreme at the domestic box office — and Warner Bros is leading the charge with a one-two punch. Final Destination: Bloodlines, the latest entry in the long-dormant horror franchise, has roared back to life with an impressive $43 million debut weekend across 3,523 theaters. This includes a strong $20 million Friday haul, bolstered by $5.5 million in Thursday previews. That figure marks the highest opening in franchise history, surpassing the previous best of $27.4 million set by 2009’s The Final Destination.
Meanwhile, the studio’s other horror juggernaut, Sinners, remains a force to be reckoned with. In its fifth weekend, the R-rated vampire thriller is projected to bring in $15 million — down just 32% from the previous weekend. That would take its cumulative domestic total to approximately $240.3 million by Sunday, a historic hold that now surpasses the fifth-weekend earnings of The Blair Witch Project ($14.5M). With the film still playing in 70 IMAX locations and showing in 3,518 theaters nationwide, Sinners continues to defy typical horror drop-offs.
‘Final Destination’ Returns with a Vengeance
Final Destination: Bloodlines not only marks a box office milestone for Warner Bros and New Line Cinema but also revives a fan-favorite franchise after a 14-year hiatus. Directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, with a screenplay by Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor based on Jeffrey Reddick’s original concept, Bloodlines has received glowing reception. It currently holds a 93% critics score and a 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Thursday night previews alone outpaced similar genre openings such as The Nun ($5.4M previews), which eventually scored a $53M opening weekend, and NEON’s The Monkey, which opened to $14M after $1.9M in previews. These numbers place Bloodlines comfortably above expectations, which had initially projected a $35M–$40M weekend range.
Warner Bros now claims four No. 1 openings in 2025, joining Mickey 17, A Minecraft Movie, and Sinners. Through 20 weekends this year, the studio has topped the box office six times — more than any other distributor so far.
‘Sinners’ Keeps Drawing Blood at the Box Office
The continued success of Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Michael B. Jordan, reflects the power of well-crafted horror with staying power. The film’s staying power is particularly notable given that it’s maintaining momentum deep into its theatrical run, now outperforming several box office legends in their fifth weekends. The gothic vampire drama has found consistent audience interest thanks to strong word-of-mouth, premium large format support (like IMAX), and a wide theater footprint.
‘Thunderbolts’ Holds Steady in Second Place
In second place this weekend is Disney and Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts, which continues its steady pace at the box office. The ensemble superhero flick, featuring Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, earned $16 million in its third weekend — a 50% drop — bringing its domestic total to $154.8 million. That puts it 14% ahead of 2021’s Eternals at the same point in its run, a respectable outcome for a title seen as a mid-tier Marvel release.
‘A Minecraft Movie’ Builds Toward $420M
Warner Bros/Legendary’s A Minecraft Movie holds onto fourth place with a $5.6 million weekend, down just 27% in its seventh frame. With a running total of $416.3 million domestically, the family-friendly adaptation of the hit video game continues to demonstrate strong legs, especially in matinee-friendly time slots.
‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ Stumbles in Debut
Fifth place belongs to Lionsgate and Live Nation’s Hurry Up Tomorrow, the much-hyped music-fantasy drama starring pop icon The Weeknd and Jenna Ortega. Despite strong fan anticipation, the film is struggling to gain traction, expected to open with just $3.3M–$4.7M after a $2.5M Friday (which included $1.65M in fan event previews).
The film, directed by Trey Edward Shults, has been positioned as part of a larger media push tied to The Weeknd’s new album and his After Hours Til Dawn North American stadium tour — which is on track to gross over $400 million. While the film may underperform theatrically, Lionsgate is treating it more as a brand-building asset than a traditional box office play.
Critics were not impressed — Hurry Up Tomorrow holds a dire 16% on Rotten Tomatoes — but early audience feedback suggests more generous reception, with a 75% audience score. Still, PostTrak exit polls were rough: a half-star overall rating and only 34% definite recommend. By comparison, The Weeknd’s May 9 Glendale, Arizona concert alone grossed $8.7 million, outpacing the film’s projected entire opening weekend by 85%.
Looking Ahead
With summer blockbuster season heating up, all eyes will be on whether Bloodlines can sustain its momentum in the coming weeks, and if Sinners continues its remarkable run. Warner Bros has proven it can thrive in both franchise IP and original horror — setting a high bar as 2025’s most dominant studio at the domestic box office so far.
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