Zendaya’s new movie Challengers is a hit on social media, but is that translating to the box office? Here’s how much Challengers has made, with predictions for the future.
The fancams are at the ready, and social media is already ablaze with fierce defenses for all three of Challengers’ questionable characters. Typically, this is a sure-fire sign of good things to come at the box office, but how well is Challengers doing, exactly?
Challengers is a sports movie with edge, and thanks to Luca Guadagnino, Zendaya and the like, it’s one of the most memorable movies of 2024 so far. But it’s still a risk — taking the competitive world of tennis and turning it into an examination of the toxic and sex-obsessed relationship between three very different players won’t be a move that everyone goes for.
So, is Challengers setting up a serve as one of the year’s highest-grossing movies? Here’s what you need to know.
How much has Challengers made at the box office?
At the time of writing, Challengers has made $52.2 million at the global box office.
The film had a production budget of $55 million. It made $15 million during its opening weekend, starting from Friday April 26, 2024. This figure includes the gross from preview screenings, which totaled around $1.9 million, and from screenings at around 3,477 locations. Overall, this makes it the highest-grossing movie of the weekend.
The movie opened early in Australia and New Zealand, bringing in $756k at the box office. Over the weekend of April 26, it expanded to 51 additional territories.
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During the weekend, Zendaya’s movies — Challengers and Dune: Part Two — accounted for 26% of the box office, thanks to an IMAX re-release of the latter. What’s impressive about Challengers’ earnings during the opening weekend is that around 40% of the gross came from IMAX and PLF screenings, which is unprecedented for a non-franchise/action title.
On the second weekend, it was knocked into third place by Ryan Gosling’s The Fall Guy, as well as the re-release of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
Challengers box office predictions
Challengers was projected to earn $15 million during its entire opening weekend, which it accomplished.
While that’s pennies compared to Zendaya’s other hit movie for 2024, Dune: Part Two, it’s still a reasonable amount, since this is her first official leading role in a feature film. Her co-stars, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor, are still relatively under the radar when it comes to mainstream audiences.
For comparison, it took seven weekends for Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me by Your Name to cross the $6 million mark.
While Challengers climbs the ranks, take a look at the Challengers ending explained for more. Or, alternatively, check out the Challengers soundtrack for some incredible tunes.