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Zendaya's Tennis-Themed Romance 'Challengers' Wins Weekend Box Office Battle Against Christian Bale's 'Unsung Hero'

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May 8, 2024 — 1 min read

The romantic drama film Challengers, starring Zendaya and now taking the top spot in the domestic top 10, has dominated the weekend box office. Challengers has earned $15.011 million in ticket sales domestically, almost double that of Unsung Hero, a Christian Bale thriller which pulled in $7.750 million in its opening weekend. Holding onto the third place is Alex Garland's Civil War movie, which made $7.004 million.

With a budget of $55 million, Challengers is already a success for director Luca Guadagnino, surpassing his previous box office record held by 2002's Bones and All, which never climbed higher than eighth place. The film has made an estimated $18.1 million domestically, nearly reaching the earnings of Call Me By Your Name, which made $18.1 million in its entire domestic run.

While $15 million may be a strong opening for an original sports drama, it's worth noting that the film's success is impressive but not unheard of. Challengers hasn't quite reached the heights of some of the larger-scale romantic dramas that have thrived at the box office in recent years, but it's a solid start for a unique movie that doesn't yet have the backing of a major franchise.

With its strong critical acclaim, positive audience ratings, and a promising box office opening, Challengers is poised to continue its run in the coming weeks. With no major franchise films set to release in the coming weeks, it will be interesting to see how the film continues to perform and if it can maintain its strong buzz.

Meanwhile, Dune: Part Two is nearing $700 million worldwide, while Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has crossed $500 million globally. With no major franchise films set to release in the coming weeks, it will be interesting to see how the films continue to perform and if they can maintain their strong buzz.

Other notable releases this week include David Leitch's The Fall Guy starring Ryan Gosling and Wes Ball's Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes.

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