I spoke with Coogler about how Sinners’ genre mash-up came to be, why it was the right time for him to tell an original story, and the reason the Mississippi setting resonated for him, despite his having never been there before working on the film.

The back-to-back boost of “Minecraft” and “Sinners” has given Warner Bros. film chiefs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy some breathing room as they try to lead the storied Burbank-based studio through a daunting recovery period.

Director Ryan Coogler is showing his “eternal gratitude” for the moviegoers who saw his latest film “Sinners” in the theater, helping the supernatural thriller overcome expectations and claim the No.