‘This Is How You Do It’: Tyler Perry Helped Ryan Coogler Secure Ownership of Sinners

In a recent episode of Den of Kings, a YouTube podcast featuring some of Black America’s most influential voices, Kirk Franklin, Jeezy, Derrick Hayes, and Tyler Perry. But what Perry revealed was anything but ordinary.

Between laughs and stories about the trials of success, the filmmaker and studio owner shared how a phone call, just one conversation, may have helped change the course of Hollywood history.

That call was to Ryan Coogler.

“I rang him up after Black Panther,” Tyler Perry said. “I told him, ‘Here’s how you do that.’”

He was referring to Sinners, the Southern Gothic horror film that’s now being talked about in both artistic and business circles. Coogler’s deal for the film, a rare arrangement that grants him eventual full ownership, has stunned an industry where such control is almost unheard of, especially for Black filmmakers.

Perry, who built a media empire from scratch and famously retained the rights to his Madea franchise, knew exactly what kind of hurdles Coogler was up against. And so he shared what he had learned.

“I walked him through it—how to structure the deal, how to speak the language,” Perry said. “Because when you don’t have mentors or people in your corner, you fumble through it alone. I had to. But now I know better.”

For Coogler, the stakes were deeply personal. Sinners, set in 1930s Mississippi and rooted in his own family history—was more than a film. It was a legacy.

That’s why ownership mattered.

Released in April 2025, Sinners became a sensation. It was hailed for its haunting storytelling and its layered themes of faith, fear, and freedom. Michael B. Jordan delivered a powerful performance in dual roles, and Ludwig Göransson’s score added depth to the film’s Southern eeriness.

With a global box office haul of over $365 million, it became one of the most successful original Black horror films ever made.

But behind the scenes, it was the deal itself that marked a shift.

Coogler secured what few filmmakers can even dream of: first-dollar gross participation, final cut approval, and a clause ensuring that Sinners will revert entirely to his ownership 25 years after release. That places him in rare company, alongside the likes of Christopher Nolan.

Hollywood has often applauded bold storytelling. But bold deal-making? That’s another matter.

Perry sees this as a new chapter—one where success is no longer defined by box office numbers alone, but by who holds the pen when the contracts are written.

“To see Ryan pull it off,” Perry said, pausing with a smile. “That’s what it’s all about. Ownership.”

And perhaps more than anything, it’s about lifting others up the ladder behind you. One phone call at a time.