Summary
Challengershas become a streaming hit after releasing in theaters earlier this year. Directed by Luca Guadagnino,Challengersstars Zendayaas Tashi, a former tennis prodigy who finds herself caught in a love triangle while training her tennis champion husband to face off against her ex-boyfriend. The film, which also stars Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor, was met with a warm critical reception and currently enjoys a strong 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.
New streaming data fromReelgoodreveals thatChallengersranks as the ninth most popular movie on streaming in the U.S. for the week of August 1 – 7. The film, which is available to watch on MGM+, beats 2024’s vampire horrorAbigail, but comes just behind titles likeWicked Little Letters,IF, andTarot. Check out the full top 10 list below:
Challengers' Theatrical Reception Explained
How Zendaya’s Tennis Movie Fared At The Box Office
Challengers' reviewswere generally very positive from critics, with praise aimed at the strong performances from Zendaya, Faist, and O’Connor. The movie’s depiction of the world of professional tennis, too, is unique, and Guadagnino makes the sport both intense and sensual as it becomes intertwined with Tashi’s love triangle. The response from audiences onRotten Tomatoeswas less glowing than from critics, but the film still enjoys a respectable 73%.
Challengers Ending Explained: Who Won The Final Match
Challengers sees the ups and downs of intense relationships within the tennis world. We break down the film’s biggest ending developments and more.
Commercially,Challengerswas less of a success.The movie grossed $94.2 million worldwide, which would normally be an impressive feat for a sports drama. What hurtChallengersat the box office, however, is its sizable budget of an estimated $55 million. Using the typical Hollywood rule of thumb, a movie with a $55 million budget would be looking at a break-even point of roughly $137.5 million, a goal Guadignino’s film fell far short of.
It’s entirelypossible thatChallengers' VOD and streaming performance will go some way to offsetting any lossesthat incurred from its theatrical run. Still, though, the Guadignino film does seem, given its premise, like it would have been better suited to a budget in the $30 million range. WhileChallengersmay not have been a massive theatrical success, it’s evidently finding its audience on home viewing platforms.
Challengers
Cast
Challengers follows tennis player-turned-coach Tashi as she transforms her husband Art into a Grand Slam champion. To revitalize his career, she enters him in a lower-tier tournament where he confronts his past, facing both his former best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend.
