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Coogler got Sinners' rights back
Coogler wrote and directed Sinners, and the studio put up the money. He wouldn't hand over his intellectual property any other way: the movie had to come back to him after a certain period. That arrangement is unprecedented in the film industry, where hundreds of millions of dollars are the initial bet.
The same kind of ownership is common in music now, with artists like Russ keeping their catalogs, but it doesn't happen in film. Coogler, the director of Fruitvale Station and Black Panther, held to it anyway. The movie went on to make $400 million at the box office and earned 16 Oscar nominations, most likely the most any film has received.
Why do studios usually own films outright?
Under US copyright law, a film made by employees or commissioned as a work made for hire belongs to the studio from the start. Studios then earn from the film for decades through theaters, home video, television licensing, and streaming. A film library is a long-term asset, which is why studios guard those rights. Warner Bros., founded in 1923, holds one of the largest film libraries in the world.
How did Coogler gain that leverage?
Fruitvale Station, his first feature, won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award in the US dramatic competition at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. Black Panther in 2018 grossed more than $1.3 billion worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. It was also the first superhero film nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture.
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