Challengers (film)

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Challengers
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLuca Guadagnino
Written byJustin Kuritzkes
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySayombhu Mukdeeprom
Edited byMarco Costa
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • March 26, 2024 (2024-03-26) (Sydney)
  • April 26, 2024 (2024-04-26) (United States)
Running time
131 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$55 million[2]
Box office$25 million[3][4]

Challengers is a 2024 American romantic sports drama film directed by Luca Guadagnino from a screenplay by Justin Kuritzkes. It follows a professional tennis champion (Mike Faist) who plots a comeback with the help of his wife (Zendaya), a former tennis prodigy who retired after an injury, as he goes up against another player (Josh O'Connor), who also happens to be his former best friend and wife's former lover.

After being delayed from its initial September 2023 release date and pulled out from its slot as the opening film of the 80th Venice International Film Festival due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, Challengers premiered in Sydney, Australia, on March 26, 2024, and was released in the United States by Amazon MGM Studios on April 26, 2024.

Plot[edit]

The film is presented in a nonlinear narrative. The following is a linear summary of the plot.

In 2006, high schoolers and childhood best friends Patrick Zweig and Art Donaldson win the boys' junior doubles title at the US Open. Afterwards they meet Tashi Duncan, a highly lauded young tennis prospect to whom Patrick and Art are both attracted. The three meet in a hotel room, and in the ensuing encounter the two boys kiss both Tashi and each other, but Tashi ends the tryst before it escalates to sex. With Patrick and Art playing each other in the junior singles final the next day, Tashi says she will give her phone number to whichever wins. Patrick wins the match, and later signals to Art that he slept with Tashi by placing the ball in the neck of his racket prior to serving – a tic of Art's.

Tashi and Art go on to play college tennis at Stanford University, while Patrick turns professional and begins a long distance relationship with Tashi. Art questions Tashi about whether Patrick loves her, and Patrick, recognizing Art's jealousy, playfully reassures him. Patrick and Tashi fight when she gives him unsolicited tennis advice during sex and he says he views her as a peer, not his coach. In the match immediately after, from which Patrick is absent, Tashi suffers a severe knee injury. Patrick returns to comfort Tashi, but she demands he leave, with Art taking her side. Art aids Tashi in her recovery, but she is unsuccessful in resuming her tennis career.

A few years later, Tashi reconnects with Art and becomes his coach, with the two beginning a romantic relationship. He reveals that he and Patrick have not talked since Tashi's injury. In 2011, Tashi and Art are now engaged, and Art's career is on the rise. Tashi and Patrick run into each other at the Atlanta Open and have a one night stand, which Art secretly notices.

In 2019, now married, Tashi and Art are a wealthy power couple with a young daughter. Under Tashi's coaching, Art has become a top professional tennis player. He is one US Open title away from a Career Grand Slam, though he has been struggling after recovering from an injury. Tashi enters Art as a wild card in a Challenger event in New Rochelle, New York, in the hope he can boost his confidence and return to form by beating lower-level opponents. Patrick is now an unknown player living out of his car, scraping by on winnings from the lower circuits, and happens to also enter the New Rochelle event. Starting at opposite ends of the seeding, Art and Patrick advance through the brackets until they find themselves facing each other in the final. The day before the match, Patrick attempts to reconnect with Art, but Art brutally rejects Patrick, saying that his career is over and Art will be remembered in tennis history.

Patrick secretly asks Tashi to be his coach and lead him to one last winning season, sensing she is unhappy with Art and that Art is tired of playing, but she rejects him. The night before the final, Art informs Tashi he plans to retire at the end of the season whether he wins the Open or not, despite knowing that Tashi is vicariously living her tennis career through him. Tashi tells Art that if he loses to Patrick, she will leave him. Afterwards, Tashi secretly meets with Patrick to ask him to throw the match to Art. Patrick reluctantly agrees. The two then have sex inside his car.

The day of the final, Tashi watches from the crowd as Art and Patrick are matched. Patrick wins the first set, and Art wins the second. As Art takes the lead late in the final game, Patrick begins to throw the match through double faults. However, he stops short of losing and instead signals that he had slept with Tashi using Art's serve tic. Stunned, Art allows Patrick to score until they are again tied. During the tie break, Art and Patrick furiously trade turns. The rally intensifies until both jump for a volley at the net. Before either can hit the ball, Art collides with Patrick over the net, and the two tightly embrace. Tashi cheers from the stands.[5]

Cast[edit]

  • Zendaya as Tashi Duncan[6]
  • Josh O'Connor as Patrick Zweig[6]
  • Mike Faist as Art Donaldson[6]
  • Darnell Appling as New Rochelle Final Umpire
  • AJ Lister as Lily Donaldson
  • Nada Despotovich as Tashi's mother
  • Naheem Garcia as Tashi's father
  • Hailey Gates as Helen
  • Jake Jensen as Finn Larsen[7]

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

It was announced in February 2022 that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had landed the film, which Luca Guadagnino directed and Zendaya, Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist cast to star. Zendaya also served as a producer on the film.[8] In a 2022 interview with Collider, Guadagnino cited Kuritzkes' screenplay, Amy Pascal, and Zendaya as inspirations for making the film.[9]

Filming[edit]

Principal photography began on May 3, 2022, in Boston, where a casting call took place for local residents to audition to play tennis players, general extras, and stand-ins.[10] In preparation for her role, Zendaya spent three months training with pro-tennis player-turned-coach Brad Gilbert.[11] Gilbert was also a consultant on the film. Filming occurred in and around the Back Bay and East Boston neighborhoods.[12] Sayombhu Mukdeeprom served as cinematographer.[13] Jonathan Anderson, creative director of Spanish luxury brand Loewe, served as costume designer.[14] Filming wrapped on June 26, 2022.[15]

Post-production[edit]

Guadagnino visited Zendaya on the set of Dune: Part Two in order to complete ADR for Challengers.[16] Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross composed the film's score, having previously worked with Guadagnino on 2022's Bones and All.[17] Post-production was completed by April 2023.[18]

Music[edit]

Main article: Challengers (soundtrack)

The film's original score was composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. A remixed version was released in collaboration with Boys Noize.[19]

Release[edit]

Challengers premiered in Sydney, Australia on March 26, 2024, followed by premieres in Paris, London and at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, the latter of which had tennis player Venus Williams in attendance.[20] It was released in theaters and IMAX in the United States and Canada by Amazon MGM Studios on April 26, 2024, the same month as the centennial anniversary of the founding of MGM on April 17.[21][22][23][24][25]

The film was previously set to be released on September 15, 2023,[26] and before that August 11, 2023.[27] The film was also scheduled to have its world premiere as the opening film of the 80th Venice International Film Festival,[28] but was delayed and pulled out from the festival by Amazon MGM Studios due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike at the time.[22]

Warner Bros. Pictures serves as the film's international distributor.[29] Although the film was initially set for a direct-to streaming release on Amazon Prime Video in France instead of a theatrical release, the decision was reversed in January 2024, meaning the film would start streaming on the service 17 months after its initial theatrical release. While it was rumored the film would be released on April 24, 2024, two days before its release in the United States, a spokesperson for Warner Bros. Discovery denied this, stating the film had not been dated for a French theatrical release yet.[30][31]

Reception[edit]

Box office[edit]

As of April 28, 2024, Challengers has grossed $15 million in the United States and Canada and $10 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $25 million.[4][3]

In the United States and Canada, Challengers was released alongside Boy Kills World and Unsung Hero, and was projected to gross $12–15 million from 3,477 theaters in its opening weekend.[32][2] The film made $6.2 million on its first day, including $1.9 million in Thursday-night previews.[33] It went on to debut to $15 million, topping the box office and marking the best domestic opening weekend of Guadagnino's career and of Zendaya's for a non-IP film.[34]

Critical response[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of 234 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8/10. The website's consensus reads: "With its trio of outstanding performers volleying their star power back and forth without ever dropping the ball, Challengers is a kinetic and sexy romp at court."[35] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 83 out of 100, based on 58 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[36] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it a 77% overall positive score, with 59% saying they would definitely recommend it.[34]

Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph awarded the film five stars out of five, writing that the "romantic thriller is the most purely pleasurable film of the year.”[37]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Challengers (15)". BBFC. April 10, 2024. Archived from the original on April 18, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (April 24, 2024). "Zendaya's Tennis Drama 'Challengers' Aims to Lead Sluggish Box Office With $15 Million Debut". Variety. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Challengers – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Challengers". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  5. ^ Kois, Dan (April 26, 2024). "Who Really Wins Challengers' Wild Final Match?". Slate. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Hipes, Patrick (June 20, 2023). "Challengers Trailer: Zendaya Playing Her Own Game Of Doubles In Luca Guadagnino's Tennis Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 20, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  7. ^ "Actor Jake Jensen: Stepping into the Spotlight with Two Upcoming Films, Including a Zendaya Co-Starring Project". Distract. August 28, 2023. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  8. ^ Kroll, Justin (February 11, 2022). "Luca Guadagnino Sets Zendaya, Josh O'Connor & Mike Faist To Star In 'Challengers' For MGM And Amy Pascal". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 23, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  9. ^ Jones, Tamera (November 6, 2022). "Luca Guadagnino on Directing 'Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams' and Having Martin Scorsese In the Documentary". Collider. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
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  11. ^ Tennis.com. "Zendaya's tennis skills impress on the set of upcoming film 'Challengers'". Tennis.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  12. ^ "All the Hollywood movies and TV shows filming in Massachusetts in 2022". Boston.com. May 18, 2022. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
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  14. ^ "Jonathan Anderson Turns Up the Heat with Costume Designs for Luca Guadagnino's 'Challengers'". Hypebae. June 21, 2023. Archived from the original on August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  15. ^ "Luca Guadagnino's 'Challengers' starring Zendaya, Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist has officially wrapped filming". June 27, 2022. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  16. ^ "Timothée Chalamet & Zendaya Gave Bones & All Director Peek At Dune Set". Screen Rant. November 27, 2022. Archived from the original on November 27, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  17. ^ "Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Scoring Luca Guadagnino's 'Challengers'". Film Music Reporter. October 16, 2022. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  18. ^ Vivarelli, Nick (April 21, 2023). "Drew Starkey to Star With Daniel Craig in Luca Guadagnino's 'Queer' With Filming Starting This Month in Italy (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  19. ^ Chelosky, Danielle (April 12, 2024). "Stream Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross' Challengers Score Remixed By Boys Noize". Stereogum. Archived from the original on April 18, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  20. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  21. ^ Whittock, Jesse (May 8, 2023). "Amazon MGM Studios Distribution To Launch At LA Screenings". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 8, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  22. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 21, 2023). "Zendaya R-Rated Pic 'Challengers' From Luca Guadagnino Heads To Spring 2024 Due To Actors Strike". Deadline. Archived from the original on August 9, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  23. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 23, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  24. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 30, 2024. Retrieved March 30, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  25. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  26. ^ Challengers, September 14, 2023, archived from the original on March 22, 2023, retrieved March 23, 2023
  27. ^ Ulatowski, Rachel (June 26, 2022). "Zendaya Plays Tennis in Set Video From Her No Way Home Follow-Up Movie". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on July 8, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  28. ^ "Luca Guadagnino and Zendaya to open 80th Venice Film Festival". euronews. July 7, 2023. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  29. ^ "Zendaya explains career shift for new movie Challengers". Digital Spy. August 25, 2023. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  30. ^ Leffler, Rebecca (January 11, 2024). "Luca Guadagnino's 'Challengers' gets French theatrical release, will not head straight to Prime Video as planned". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  31. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (June 19, 2023). "Zendaya and Luca Guadagnino's 'Challengers' to Skip France Theatrical Release, Debut on Prime Video". Variety. Archived from the original on June 19, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  32. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 23, 2024). "Zendaya-Palooza At Weekend Box Office As Luca Guadagnino's 'Challengers' Looks To Serve $15M Opening & 'Dune 2' Returns To Imax – Preview". Deadline. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  33. ^ Moreau, Jordan (April 26, 2024). "Box Office: Zendaya's 'Challengers' Makes $1.9 Million in Previews". Variety. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  34. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 28, 2024). "'Challengers' Serves Biggest U.S. Opening To Luca Guadagnino At $15M; Best For Zendaya Live-Action Non-IP Pic – Sunday AM Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  35. ^ "Challengers". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  36. ^ "Challengers". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  37. ^ "Challengers: Zendaya's tennis love triangle serves up racquet-twanging steaminess". The Telegraph. April 12, 2024. Archived from the original on April 16, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.

External links[edit]

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