Why Ryan Coogler “Sinners” deal has many in Hollywood concerned

Sinners, a Western vampire thriller starring Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers, was a hit in its first weekend at the box office. But the movie currently has Hollywood abuzz for a different reason—the deal director Ryan Coogler cut with Warner Bros.

• As part of his contract, Coogler received final cut, a creative dispensation reserved for top directors, and first-dollar gross earnings, or a percentage of box-office revenue that starts right from the theatrical opening (rather than after the studio has turned a profit).
• But there's also a clause—the most controversial element— that reverts ownership of Sinners from Warner Bros. to Coogler after 25 years.

Show business is up in arms. Some studio executives have expressed concern that other directors will start demanding copyright ownership en masse—something that studios heavily rely on for profit as films age. And the more directors that demand film rights, the less money studios make in the long term.

But…Other experts say concerns may be overblown. Coogler himself isn’t planning to demand copyright for any other films, so the trend isn’t guaranteed to catch on. The Sinners director says he wanted those specific rights due to its symbolic importance.

Big picture: Sinners outperformed analysts’ expectations in its opening weekend, generating $45.6 million to top the domestic box office.