Challengers, a steamy tennis drama starring Zendaya and directed by Luca Guadagnino, is poised to lead the domestic box office without much in the way of competition. The film, from Amazon MGM, is projected to collect $12 million to $15 million from 3,400 North American theaters in its opening weekend. Although those are modest projections for any nationwide release, its this weekends only major new movie and shouldnt have trouble claiming first place from A24s Civil War, the reigning champion. Last weekend, Civil War topped the box office for the second consecutive frame with $11.1 million and has grossed $70 million globally to date. Overall, the domestic box office is 20% behind the same point in 2023, according to Comscore. The steamy, Rrated Challengers was originally slated to premiere at 2023s Venice Film Festival and hit the big screen last fall. But the studio opted to delay its release to spring because the actors strike prevented Zendaya and her costars, West Side Story actor Mike Faist and The Crown breakout Josh OConnor, from being able to promote the movie. Now, Zendayas tennisthemed red carpet looks have been generating headline after headline. So postponing the movie, at least in terms of bolstering awareness among its target audience of twentysomethings, may prove to be worth it. Challengers carries a significant price tag of roughly $55 million, so Amazon MGM has a lot riding on the box office. Popular on Variety That Challengers, an Rrated drama with an arthouse sheen, is getting a nationwide release (rather than a platform rollout that accompanies most indie films) and could hit midteens to start is a testament to Zendayas star power. Of course, Amazon MGM has deep pockets and isnt an independent distributor. But Guadagninos movies arent usually mainstream. His biggest film, 2017s Call Me By Your Name, grossed just $18 million in the U.S. and $43 million globally while his most recent, 2022s Bones and All, fizzled with only $15 million worldwide. Nor are tennis films arent known to pack seats at multiplexes. Take 2017s Battle of the Sexes, starring Emma Stone and Steve Carrell as Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, which opened to $3 million and tapped out with $12 million domestically. Those were blockbuster results compared to the Shia Labeoufled Borg vs. McEnroe, about the rivalry between two other tennis legends, which failed to hit $4 million globally. And King Richard, which scored a best picture nomination and earned Will Smith an Oscar, opened to $5 million while simultaneously launching on HBO Max. It only managed to gross $15 million in total, although analysts believe ticket sales for King Richard were stifled by its dayanddate debut on streaming during COVID. Warner Bros. is distributing Challengers at the international box office, where the film has generated $765,000 from two smaller markets. The movie launches in 51 overseas territories over the weekend, followed by 14 additional countries in early May. Word of mouth will be crucial to the commercial success of Challengers, but so far critics seem to like it. Zendaya stars in the film as a former tennis prodigy who retires after an injury and later marries a tennis champion on a losing streak. She plots his comeback, which takes a turn after he must face off against another player, who happens to be his former best friend and her former lover. Varietys Peter Debruge called the movie hip and sexy, writing the plot of Challengers might sound stale, and yet, theres an electric spark to Guadagninos approach that elevates the material, rendering it fresh. Elsewhere, Lionsgates religious drama Unsung Hero is targeting $5 million to $7 million from 2,800 theaters in its debut. The feelgood film tells the true story of the Smallbone family as they move from Australia to Nashville and become Christian recording artists. Unsung Hero cost $6 million, so itll have little trouble becoming profitable for the studio. Its the latest collaboration between Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company following modest hits like I Can Only Imagine, Jesus Revolution and the Hillary Swankled Ordinary Angels. This weekends final new release, Roadsides Boy Kills World, a gruesome revenge thriller starring Bill Skarsgrd, is aiming for $2 million to $3 million.
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