Tyler Perry has claimed that he helped Ryan Coogler achieve his historic ownership deal for “Sinners.” Speaking on the July 20 episode of Kirk Franklin’s podcast Den of Kings, the billionaire filmmaker told the host, as well as guests Jeezy and Derrick Hayes, that he advised Coogler on the ownership deal.
Coogler’s film, which was released in theaters on April 18 and stars Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, and Miles Caton, brought in over $365 million globally against a $90 million production budget.
Now, a deal Coogler made with Warner Bros. concerning “Sinners” could pay him for the rest of his life.
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According to Vulture, the deal includes a provision that will give Coogler the rights to the movie after 25 years. For the rest of his life, he could receive royalties from streaming services and TV broadcasts of the film that would usually go to a production studio.
He could also earn money from merchandise and receive lump-sum payments from licensees seeking rights to the film for a set period.
Coogler’s “Sinners” deal is rare because directors hardly get ownership of their films, even decades after their cinematic release.
“When this deal with Ryan Coogler – everybody’s talking about the Sinners deal. ‘Oh my god, he got this amazing deal,'” Perry said on the Den of Kings podcast. “Listen, I called that brother up, as I did a lot of them. I called him up after Black Panther and I said, ‘Listen, here is how you do it.'”
According to Perry, the deal was the same he received for the 2005 drama Diary of a Mad Black Woman, adding that he was excited to know that Coogler pulled it off.
“I applaud him, man. I’m excited for him because that’s what it’s about. Holding on to the ownership,” Perry said.
Coogler said previously that what inspired the “Sinners” deal was the movie itself, where two brothers fight for ownership of a juke joint in the Jim Crow South. The movie was directly inspired by his family’s history, he told Business Insider on April 7.
Thanks to the Warner Bros. deal, he was also able to decide the final version of the film and a percentage of box-office revenue as soon as the movie hit theaters, instead of after the studio profits from it.
“Sinners” was co-written and directed by Coogler, with his wife, Zinzi Coogler, serving as a co-producer. The two were college sweethearts prior to marriage.
