‘Challengers’ Faces No Challenge At The Box Office With $15.2 Million Domestically

It may be the namesake, but there’s nothing to dethrone Luca Guadagnino’s new film at the box office. Challengers is looking to win over the box office in its first weekend of circulation. 

The Zendaya-led Challengers follows a tennis coach pitting her husband against her ex-boyfriend in a tennis match to break the streak of losses her husband has been facing. 

Within the weekend, it’s looking to make around $15.2 million, after $6.2 million in Friday returns. 

Hollywood Reporter points out that ticket sales skewed 58% female and 42% male. The positive reviews, as well, are bound to help sales. The film holds a 97% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.8/10 on IMDb. 

Hollywood Reporter also noted that Challengers was initially on track to release last year, but was yet another victim of a delay due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. 

Behind Challengers this weekend is Unsung Hero, looking to take home $8 million by the close of Sunday. While already above what early predictions had the film tracking at, it’s already set to exceed the reported production cost of just $6 million. 

While not cracking the top five, Ridley Scott’s sci-fi/horror classic Alien returns to the big screen this weekend for its 45th anniversary. Starring Sigourney Weaver and Tom Skeritt, Alien follows a group of workers on a commercial mining ship who unknowingly bring on board a dangerous creature never before encountered. 

Still going strong in its fifth week is Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, making $7.3 million this weekend. Civil War comes next with $6.6 million, followed by Abigail with $5 million. 

The top 10 films at the box office this weekend, courtesy of Deadline: 

1. Challengers (AMZ/MGM) 3-Day $15.2M/ Wk 1
2. Unsung Hero (Lionsgate) 3-Day $8M/ Wk 1
3. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (Legendary/WB) 3-Day $7.3M/ Total $181.1M/ Wk 5
4. Civil War (A24) 3-Day $6.6M/ Total $55.8M/ Wk 3
5. Abigail (Universal) 3-Day $5M/ Total $18.5M/ Wk 2
6. Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (Lionsgate) 3-Day $3.85M/ Total $15.4M/ Wk 2 
7. Kung Fu Panda 4 (Universal) 3-Day $3.4M/ Total $184.8M/ Wk 8 
8. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (Sony) 3-Day $3.2M/ Total $107.3M/ Wk 6 
9. Dune: Part Two (Legendary/WB) 3-Day $1.89M/ Total $279.6M/ Wk 9 
10. Alien– 45th Anniversary Re-Release (20th Century) 3-Day $1.78M/ Lifetime $83.8M/ Wk 1