He did so by writing us all a letter.
“Eternal gratitude. My heart is bursting with it. I want to thank each and every one of you who bought a ticket to see Sinners,” the letter reads. “Who decided to drive to see the film in different formats. Who bought popcorn and a drink, booked a sitter and carpooled, and stood in the lobby afterward and talked and made a friend. Who changed their work schedules. Who saw the film in groups.”
Ryan Coogler’s letter following ‘Sinners’ box office successCredit: Ryan Coogler
“I had the gift of the opportunity of making a film inspired by my family and my ancestry but it was always a film that we wanted to make for audiences, in theaters,” Coogler wrote. “We always had our minds on you, the audience, and felt a deep responsibility to entertain you, and move you in the way only cinema can.”
The director continues, “I believe in cinema. I believe in the theatrical experience. I believe it is a necessary pillar of society. It’s why me and so many of my colleagues have dedicated our lives to the craft. We don’t get to do what we do if you don’t show up. The global theatrical audience has allowed me to dream, find a career, and build a more sustainable life for me and my family. And the only way that I know how to thank you for that, is by continuing to mine my personal human experience and my relationships for more stories to bring to you in cinematic language. To see your response to the film has invigorated me and many others who believe in this art form.”
The letter ends with around 40 names of filmmakers who inspired him to make the movie, “Spike Lee, John Singleton, Ernie Barnes, Steve McQueen, Ava Duvernay, Euzhan Palcy, Eudora Welty, Oscar Micheaux, Robert Rodriguez, Barry Jenkins, Quentin Tarantino, Nicolas Roeg, Andrea Arnold, Jeremy Saulnier, Paul Thomas Anderson, Joel and Ethan Coen, Bill Gunn, Jordan Peele, John Carpenter, Boots Reilly, Shaka King, Nia Dacosta, Terence Nance, Rian Johnson, Bradford Young, David Cronenberg, David Lynch, Chris Nolan, Emma Thomas, Theodore Witcher, Francis Coppola, Julie Dash, Steven Spielberg, Kahlil Joseph, Mati Diop, Ben and Josh Safdie, Stephen King, Robert Palmer, Amiri Baraka, Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma, George Lucas, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Walter Mosley, Stephen Graham Jones, Joel Crawford, Wes Craven, and many others.”
I found this to be a profound and incredibly sweet letter that made me feel great for going to the movies and letting my excitement build for the rest of his career.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
Zacuto's Great Camera Shootout 2010 has featured a number of helpful comparisons between film and DSLR footage, and the third and final episode is now online.
Ryan Coogler’s letter following ‘Sinners’ box office successCredit: Ryan Coogler 
