There may not be a movie theater in Clarksdale, Mississippi, but that didn’t stop hundreds of locals from packing into the town’s Civic Auditorium for a special screening of Sinners, the Southern horror hit that’s partly set in their own backyard.
The blockbuster, which stars Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers caught in a supernatural spiral while opening a juke joint in 1930s Mississippi, has already pulled in over $330 million globally. But for Clarksdale residents, the very people whose culture inspired the film, seeing Sinners on the big screen almost didn’t happen.
That is, until the community made sure it did.
After discovering that there wasn’t a single theater in town showing the film, local organizers kicked off a petition to bring the movie (and the people who made it) home.
The result? A full-circle moment, with director Ryan Coogler, actor Miles Caton, composer Ludwig Göransson, and others touching down in Clarksdale for a multi-night free screening event hosted by Warner Bros.
“I have family from Mississippi—my uncle, my grandfather—and I had never been until working on this script,” Coogler told the crowd. “It really changed me, just to come here.”
The city, known as the Birthplace of the Blues, swapped guitar riffs for jump scares for the evening.
Community organizer Tyler Yarbrough spoke directly to Coogler’s vision: “The love you have for southern folk, Mississippians and Clarksdale came to life through your commitment to writing us right. We are ready. We are waiting. And we would be proud to welcome you back to where it all began.”
Sinners doesn’t just pull on the rich cultural threads of Mississippi’s past, it puts them front and center. It’s a vampire flick, yes, but it’s also a story of legacy, survival, and soul, steeped in the music, language, and lived experience of the Black South.
The screenings will continue at the Civic Auditorium through May 31, giving more locals the chance to see their history reflected on screen.
For everyone else, Sinners will be available to rent or buy digitally on platforms like Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home starting June 3.
Photo Credit: X/ Carmen_A_Jude
