Filmmaker Tyler Perry recently revealed that he played a major role in helping director Ryan Coogler structure the groundbreaking deal behind Coogler’s 2025 blockbuster film “Sinners.” During an appearance on “The Den of Kings” podcast with Kirk Franklin, Derrick Hayes, and Jay “Jeezy” Jenkins, Perry shared that he offered Coogler strategic guidance on how to negotiate ownership rights, something Perry himself had previously fought for with his successful “Madea” franchise.
Inside Hollywood
“When this deal with Ryan Coogler happened, everybody was talking about the ‘Sinners‘ deal. ‘Oh my god, he got this amazing deal.’ 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,’” Perry said in the July 20, 2025 episode. “The deal that he has — my first movie, it’ll be 20 years this year. … I called him [Coogler] up and said, ‘Here is how you do that deal.’ And to see that they were able to pull it off, I applaud him, man. I’m excited for him, because that’s what it’s about: holding on to the ownership.”
Perry owns the rights to the character “Madea” and the associated film franchise, according to Forbes.
The billionaire has full ownership of his creative empire–TV episodes,feature films, and more than two dozen stage plays, Forbes reported.
According to Perry, many Black people in the professional world, especially Black men, don’t have relatives they can turn to for advise, so he often offers it up what he’s leaned to others.
In what’s considered a landmark agreement, Coogler was able to strike a deal with Warner Bros. allowing him to retain ownership of “Sinners” after 25 years. This is a rare arrangement in Hollywood, where studios typically retain control over films indefinitely. In the case of “Sinners,” Coogler served as writer, director, and producer, making the ownership terms all the more impactful.
“I’ve been in the industry long enough to know what kinds of deals are possible, and nothing about this deal is a new thing,” Coogler said in an April interview with “Democracy Now” host Amy Goodman. “This project was really important to me. … I’ve missed out on a lot of things in my life making films that will always be owned by other people. For this one, because it was so personal. … I asked for a few things for this project … for what it was about and what it meant for my family.”
To date, “Sinners” has earned $278.6 million in the United States and $365.8 million worldwide on a reported $90 million budget, becoming the highest-grossing original horror film in domestic box office history.
