a sports biopic that does not convince the public

The latest film starring Sydney Sweeney has just performed sadly at the box office, recording such low revenues at its launch that it joins the ranking of the ten worst starts ever recorded at the cinema.

A physical and dramatic role to seduce

In the Hollywood sphere, the name of Sydney Sweeney now rhymes with notoriety and influence on social networks. However, a paradox remains: its power of attraction at the box office has never really been proven. His latest project, the sports biopic Christydo not deviate from this rule. This film, chronicling the rise of the Hall of Fame boxer Christy Saltersrelied on the physical and dramatic metamorphosis of Sydney Sweeney to convince critics and spectators on the eve of major ceremonies.

Christy faces iconic Hollywood flops

From its first weekend, the verdict was in: only $1.3 million raked in – a performance which places the film among the ten worst historical starts (excluding releases). A score comparable to titles that have become infamous like The Empty Manor the intergalactic flop ofEddie Murphy, The Adventures of Pluto Nash. Even certain blockbusters or shunned musicals did better upon their release.

This result is part of a trend: sports biopics are having difficulty finding their audience in theaters. Already this fall, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and his film The Smashing Machine had struggled with an opening at 5.8 million to end up far from the break-even point.

When talent does not guarantee the box office

For studios like Black Bear Productionsthe balance between artistic prestige and commercial success remains fragile. Despite some successes like the horror thriller Immaculate ($35 million for 9 million invested), bets on films starring a great actress do not always turn into a financial triumph. Other recent attempts – include A Working Man or the choral war film signed Guy Ritchie – demonstrate a strategy oscillating between ambition and risk-taking.

But should we see this as a halt? The answer seems obvious: no. The primary objective of this type of production often lies elsewhere than just cash receipts. Positioning Sydney Sweeney’s name in the race for the Golden Globes or the Oscars remains a major challenge for her and for her partners. Especially since the actress is only at the beginning of a promising sequence: she is preparing to follow a psychological thriller directed by Paul Feig then a highly anticipated appearance in The devil wears Prada 2facing a prestigious cast.

The fact remains that, for the moment, Sydney Sweeney, a true off-screen phenomenon, seems to be playing his own part: that of a rising star whose each project fuels the media debate as much as the public’s expectations.