Sydney Sweeney’s Christy brought in a devastating $600,000 from 2,184 screens, opening with a grim #10. Slow burn queen? Not a million, in fact, not even close to a million. The film was billed as a crucial test stage for proving Sweeney’s abilities, showcasing her talents. It seems like audiences had other intentions.
Christy and The Smashing Machine Comparisons
In the other corner, there’s Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s The Smashing Machine, another heavy-hitting biographical sports drama that launched to a thunderous $2.7 million box office opening day, fully four times what Christy opened with. That makes Sweeney’s box office effort a staggering 78 percent lower.
Is it star power? Budget? Or did they want to watch The Rock smash skulls rather than watch Sydney Sweeney shake off verbal abuse and uppercuts? Regardless, The Smashing Machine swung hard, whereas Christy barely raised an eyebrow.
Critics are obsessed. However, viewers are no-shows.
The film traces Martin’s breathtaking ascension to fame in the 1990s as she becomes a household name in America’s female boxers and her nightmarish escape in 2010 when her trainer-turned-husband tries to unleash a fatal attack upon her. It’s emotive, explosive, and triumphal trailer-tempting stuff.
“Maybe the marketing was bad. Maybe people just aren’t ready to see euphoria sweetheart’s face smeared with blood instead of rhinestones. Or perhaps it’s because ‘it looks like a commercial for Gatorade with trauma,’ as one hysterical tweeter pointed out.”
Can Awards Season Perform CPR?
Although the initial release is quite limp, Christy remains hopeful like a boxer who refuses to throw in the towel. Rumors emerging involving the awards season could inject some life into this film. Rumors are that Sweeney has a chance to receive nominations for putting her body and soul into this project.
Meanwhile, The Smashing Machine hopes that film critics will be willing to forgive its commercial weaknesses, as sources indicate it’s already counting its losses. Christy has something smashing, doesn’t she? It receives pre-Oscar buzz for its star. With a significant win at the Academy Awards, Smashing could go the Hurt Locker route.
Slow burn queen? We’ll see.
The Girl Can Act, But Will They Watch?
Christy may ultimately go down in history as that Hollywood conundrum: the film that proves Sydney Sweeney is the real thing, but can’t quite open a film that was greenlit exclusively because she’s in it yet.
She’s conquered streaming. She’s conquered fashion. She’s turned interviews into viral sensations. But box office supremacy? That’s a whole other ball game.
Nevertheless, Christy currently holds a beautifully messy status within Hollywood itself, which represents a ‘be the moment’ and ‘flop’ position simultaneously. Christy, which features actors Sydney Sweeney, Ben Foster, Merritt Wever, and Katy O’Brien, was theatrically released on 7th November through Black Bear Pictures.
