When “Sinners” opened to very good if not overwhelming box office numbers, the film’s performance elicited several skeptical reactions from the entertainment press. In doing so, those outlets and their industry sources might have made a case for the value of diversity, at a time when Dei efforts at media companies have come under siege by the Trump administration.

Writer-director Ryan Coogler’s period horror film has provided a welcome spring surge for Hollywood. Yet the tentative responses to its initial results missed the enthusiasm that greeted its arrival, particularly within the Black community, which both over-indexes in terms of movie attendance and is underrepresented in media jobs.

The coverage in outlets like Variety and the New York Times prompted anger across social media, and allegations of double standards when it comes to filmmakers of color. The subsequent discussion has also focused on blind spots in Hollywood about Coogler...