One of the best success stories to grace the 2025 movie schedule has to be the overwhelming reception to writer/director Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. With the horror thriller’s triumph at last weekend’s box office, the stage looks to be set for another fiery weekend at the movies. Which is good, because that only gives the Michael B. Jordan-led ensemble cast more time to shine, especially Jack O’Connell, in a dance scene that has me and other viewers unable to shake the earworm that is "Rocky Road to Dublin."
Now, in case you haven’t experienced Sinners’ bittersweet ending, and all that came before it, I’m going to be briefly vague and explain it. There’s a moment where head vampire Remmick (O’Connell) leads his bloodsucking fellowship in a song and dance, set to the Irish folk song.
The last thing I’ll say on the matter is that if you haven’t seen Sinners’ 4DX spectacle, you haven’t truly experienced this moment, especially because the dance itself is catching on as a bit of a trend as well. And with that, let’s start taking a look at our first TikTok video of Irish jigs:
@godslittlebrother99 ♬ Rocky Road to Dublin - Jack O'Connell & Brian Dunphy & Darren Holden & Sinners Movie
If you wanted to sum up the entire subplot of Remmick and his followers outside of Club Juke, this is basically what was going on. Sure, the actual movie version is more nuanced, has great scares and dialogue, and leads to one hell of an IMAX-ratio finish, but once you’ve experienced that for yourself, the joke shown above becomes even better.
It has been severely rewarding to see Ryan Coogler’s genre-bending vampire thriller blow up over various social media platforms. Between hysterical callouts, lessons in further cultural subtext, and just the joy of people digging Sinners, it feels like the less deadly version of the peace and love converted vamps try to preach. Which leads us to the next video:
@melikjchambers ♬ Rocky Road to Dublin - Jack O'Connell & Brian Dunphy & Darren Holden & Sinners Movie
While the participant of this video probably got some looks out on the street, those stares probably shifted into looks of astonishment. Seriously, for random jigs in tribute to Sinners, some of the footwork shown off is pretty well played. But of course, there’s still room for some goofier entries, like the one you’re about to see:
@dejahhector ♬ Rocky Road to Dublin - Jack O'Connell & Brian Dunphy & Darren Holden & Sinners Movie
Another video I’m pleased to show off is a pretty practical reaction to becoming one of the bloody undead. I mean, if the hive mind theory of Sinners is in the mix, and you’ve unfortunately been turned, you’d automatically know the dance steps required to taunt your mortal food supply.
@_brazier ♬ Rocky Road to Dublin - Jack O'Connell & Brian Dunphy & Darren Holden & Sinners Movie
Our final clip truly goes for it, as our last dancer starts with some more traditional steps, but then freestyles their way through the rest. I kind of agree that if I had a choice between vampirism and staying in the house all summer, the former option does have some perks.
@iam_williewill We lit 😭😭😭
♬ Rocky Road to Dublin - Jack O'Connell & Brian Dunphy & Darren Holden & Sinners Movie
Now if you look through the reactions to the Irish Jig scene from Sinners, you’re going to see tons of Riverdance footage. It certainly gets the job done, and I’ve broken out in laughter watching some of those clips before bed.
But honestly, seeing creators putting in work like this assortment of comedic bits hits much differently, and it only furthers the sort of representation that has been attached to this movie’s burgeoning legacy. Which just winds us back to the fact that if you haven’t seen Sinners, you really should.
Even if you’ve been spoiled on the events that transpire, experiencing the journey for yourself is a much better option. Also, Thunderbolts*'s theatrical release is about to take over premium format screens in the next week. So if you want to feel this picture the way it’s meant to be seen, do a jig to a theater near you and enjoy trying to keep "Rocky Road to Dublin" from taking over your every waking thought.
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