Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor star in the sports drama.
The Big Picture
-
Challengers
, directed by Luca Guadagnino, follows a love triangle in the world of professional tennis, earning $1.9 million in previews. - The film explores the complicated relationship between Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor), and Art Donaldson (Mike Faist).
- Zendaya’s role in
Challengers
adds to her successful year, following her performance in
Dune: Part Two
and elevating her star power further.
The highly anticipated release of Challengers is finally here, with audiences now being able to watch the complicated love triangle between Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) and Art Donaldson (Mike Faist). According to Deadline, the movie directed by Luca Guadagnino has already earned $1.9 million from previews and advanced screenings, which is a few dollars short of what Cocaine Bear obtained at the same point of its release window last year. The sports film is currently expected to score $15 million during the first weekend it will be playing on the big screen, with final results coming in a matter of days.
Challengers follows the relationship between the three main characters, with Patrick and Art being friends in high school before their tennis careers took them in different directions. However, the dynamic would immediately change when the duo met Tashi Duncan, back when Zendaya’s character was only a young promise of the sport. Years after they all met each other for the first time, the situation would get even more complicated with Art and Patrick forced to face each other once again in a professional tournament. Challengers was written by Justin Kuritzkes, as Luca Guadagnino continues to explore how love defines a person’s life in his films.
When it comes to Luca Guadagnino’s career in recent years, his titles have never been major draws at the box office, but the accolades obtained by his movies always makes any new release the talk of the town. Call Me By Your Name earned $43 million at the worldwide box office, with the adaptation of the novel that told the story of how Elio (Timothée Chalamet) fell in love with Oliver (Armie Hammer) earning several nominations at the Academy Awards. If Challengers manages to earn $15 million at the box office this weekend, it will surely pass the total obtained by the director’s previous movie, Bones and All.
Zendaya’s Grand Slam Year
Zendaya was ready to dive deep into the world of professional tennis as part of her preparation for her role in Challengers, which will continue the brilliant year the performer has seen so far. The actress recently reprised her role as Chani in Dune: Part Two, that sequel that continues the journey of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) to liberate Arrakis. The blockbuster was a major hit at the box office, elevating Zendaya’s star power even further. The performer is also famous for her roles in Euphoria and the Spider-Man films, with Challengers allowing her to take on a different kind of role compared to her previous work.
Challengers is now playing in theaters.
Challengers
Follows three players who knew each other when they were teenagers as they compete in a tennis tournament to be the world-famous grand slam winner, and reignite old rivalries on and off the court.
- Release Date
- April 26, 2024
- Director
- Luca Guadagnino
- Cast
- Zendaya , Josh O’Connor , Mike Faist
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Writers
- Justin Kuritzkes
This article was originally published on collider.com