'Sinners' Will Rule On Oscar Night. But It Already Won.

Moviegoers often look to the Academy Awards to validate our choices. This year’s Oscar nominations show it’s the other way around.

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners debuted back in April, which is about as far as you can get from Oscar season without crossing over into the previous one. Usually, the latter months of the year is when studios distribute their more ambitious and challenging fare, hoping that the relentless promenade of red carpets and award ceremonies pique the curiosity of moviegoers. This time, the audience was way ahead of the trophy-givers. Sinners—a phantasmagoria that blended monster folktales, roots music, social justice commentary and, let’s face it, full-blooded sexiness—was already a box office powerhouse and pop culture touchstone by the time it collected a leading 16 nominations on Thursday.