Zendaya’s latest film, Challengers, crushed it at the box office this weekend. The R-rated drama gave the actress another No. 1 opening at the US box office. According to Comscore, the Luca Guadagnino-directed tennis three-way tryst had a $25 million worldwide premiere after debuting with $15 million domestically and an extra $10 million from international markets. The Amazon-MGM romantic sports drama has garnered mostly good feedback, with an 87% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
After opening on Friday, the movie brought in $15 million at the box office, a record for Oscar-nominated filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, according to Deadline. Challengers’ box office performance exceeded that of Guadagnino’s last film, the Timothee Chalamet-starring Bones and All, which took in $7.8 million during its run.
While it’s an admirable outcome for an artistic film targeted at adult viewers, Challengers’ substantial $55 million budget prevents it from earning a championship performance, as per Variety.
In the weeks leading up to the summer box office season, Challengers still has a chance to recover its budget, as reported by Vulture. However, the release of The Fall Guy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt might provide a little challenge at the box office, it added.
Josh O’Connor from The Crown and Mike Faist from West Side Story also feature in the film. Zendaya plays Tashi Duncan in Challengers, a force to be reckoned with both on and off the court. Tashi is a former tennis prodigy who is now a coach. Married to a losing champion (Faist), Tashi’s plan for her partner’s restoration takes an unexpected turn when he has to compete against Patrick (O’Connor), who used to be his best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend. With emotions running high and their pasts and present colliding, Tashi has to confront herself with what will it take to win.
A critic at Variety called the drama “steamy and stylish” and expressed that it is “that rare film where you’ll work up a sweat just from spectating.” Critics appreciated filmmaker Luca Guadagnino’s examination of the complicated lives of three tennis stars.
Meanwhile, Zendaya’s Dune: Part Two grossed $700 million internationally this weekend, as per a report in Variety.
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