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.

Sinners' filmmaker Ryan Coogler says he and the team behind his box-office hit 'felt a deep responsibility to entertain' moviegoers in a touching letter shared Tuesday.

The filmmaker also shares his "cinematic influences," including Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino, Ava DuVernay, Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, among several others.