Movie theaters had their strongest weekend in a long time, with ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada more than doubling compared to the same time last year. Unlike in the past, when one big movie might drive all the excitement, several different films across genres helped push audiences back into theaters.

The top movie was Sinners from Warner Bros., which made $45 million in its second weekend—dropping only 6% from its debut. Typically, movies lose about half their earnings after opening weekend, so this small decline is unusual. So far, Sinners has earned $161.6 million worldwide, and premium screenings like IMAX made up a growing share of ticket sales.
In second place was a special re-release of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith for its 20th anniversary. It brought in $42.2 million worldwide, boosted by recent announcements related to the Star Wars franchise and benefitting from nostalgia-driven marketing.
The Accountant 2 from Amazon MGM Studios debuted in third place with $24.5 million, showing strong appeal among older audiences. A Minecraft Movie continued its successful run, adding $22.7 million in its fourth weekend. The video game-based film has now made $380 million in North America alone. Rounding out the top five was Until Dawn, another video game adaptation, which opened with $8 million.
Thanks to these films, total ticket sales for April are up 102% compared to last year, and the year’s overall box office is now tracking more than 10% ahead. Analysts say this momentum could set the stage for a strong summer season, starting with Disney’s Thunderbolts in early May.