‘Sinners’ had the Dolby Theatre rockin’ with applause on Sunday night (March 15) at the 2026 Oscars. The film made history a few times, ahead of and during the ceremony! From its filmmaker, Ryan Coogler, to its lead star, Michael B. Jordan, the masterpiece and the people who brought it to life got their flowers! Here are five times (and a bonus mention) that ‘Sinners’ made history AND stole the spotlight at Hollywood’s biggest night.
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1. ‘Sinners’ Becomes Most Oscar-Nominated Film
It’s been almost a year since ‘Sinners’ lit up the box office. The film reportedly grossed nearly $280 million in the U.S. and over $369 million worldwide, making it a major success that recouped almost three times its budget. Opening weekend? The highest for a movie in six years at $48 million. Today, it’s the highest-grossing original domestic release in 15 years, per Box Office Mojo. And it’s STILL making bank!
Big bags aside, ‘Sinners’ has also made waves in the award scene. For the Oscars specifically, it made history before the ceremony on March 15, by breaking the record for most nominations ever. 98 years of the Academy Awards giving out Oscars and this year ‘Sinners’ picked up 16 nods in major categories like ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Actor.’ Ultimately, the film only won four awards, but its record is history regardless!
2. Oscars Channels Juke Joint Energy
Amid celebs and fans waiting to see which of Hollywood’s stars would get their flowers, the Academy Awards made sure the entertainment was top-tier. The 2026 Oscars kicked off with a performance of ‘I Lied to You,’ a song from ‘Sinners’ that was nominated for ‘Best Original Song.’ It did not win the award, which went to ‘Golden’ from the Netflix’s ‘KPop Demon Hunters.’ Still, the song had the audience rocking by bringing the energy of ‘Sinners’ juke joint scene honoring Black music to the stage.
Miles Caton and Raphael Saadiq performed with appearances from others like Misty Copeland, Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, Brittany Howard, Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li, Bobby Rush, Shaboozey and Alice Smith.
3. Ryan Coogler & ‘Sinners’ Win First Oscar
‘Sinners’ is Ryan Coogler’s first original film. It was not adapted from any source material. And for that work, the filmmaker won the original screenplay Oscar — his very first. Before accepting his award, Coogler hugged his wife, Zinzi Coogler. She is a producer and worked with him on ‘Sinners.’
Afterward, Coogler went down the line with his cast. He hugged Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo and, lastly, his longtime collaborator and friend, Michael B. Jordan. During his speech, Ryan Coogler asked the ‘Sinners’ cast and crew to stand up. “You’re all winners in my book,” he said.
4. Michael B. Jordan Wins First Oscar
MBJ has been building toward a performance like ‘Sinners’ for over 20 years. Now he has the best actor Oscar as his reward. His first ever. Michael B. Jordan got one trophy for playing identical twins Smoke and Stack, who set out to open a juke joint in 1930s Mississippi. He is the sixth Black man to win the best actor trophy, joining Will Smith, Forest Whitaker, Jamie Foxx, Denzel Washington and Sidney Poitier.
“…to be up amongst those giants, amongst those greats, amongst my ancestors, amongst my guys, thank you everybody in this room and everybody at home supporting me over my career.”
‘Sinners’ reunited Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler. They go back to their first collaboration in 2013. “You’re an amazing person,” Jordan told Coogler from the stage. “You gave me the opportunity and space to be seen.”
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Other nominees were Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ethan Hawke and Wagner Moura. After last year’s winner, Adrien Brody, announced MBJ as the winner, the crowd went wild with celebration. And that energy continued as the actor made his way through the backstage photo and interview rooms.
“I’ve been doing this for 25 years and there’s a lot of people who have seen me grow up in this industry,” he said backstage, “and they looked out for me when they didn’t have to.”
Now he’s ready to pass on that support. “I’m really big on the next generation, so, try to be an example,” MBJ said. “I’m not a big talker, I’m about action. I like to lead by example.”
Jordan shared Oscar night with his mother, Donna, who hugged her son upon hearing his name. His father, Michael A. Jordan, and two siblings were also in the audience.
“I’m just walking my path, just trying to be locked in,” he said backstage. “Dream big, man, and be kind and be honest. That’s how I try to live.”
