Challengers is serving up a $15 million opening at the box office this week. Zendaya fans are apparently center court for the actress’ steamy tennis drama. She plays Tashi, the young woman caught between Art and Patrick, two friends turned tennis rivals. Amazon MGM has been marketing this one and it got some buzz from early screenings. Director Luca Guadaganino’s latest has also been praised for the visual stylings of Challengers. Tennis can be hard to make engrossing on the screen and early reception indicates that the action on the court did a lot to reel people in. So, Zendaya has another strong showing on her hands in 2024.
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Interestingly, Challengers has a B+ CinemaScore, so it sits alongside a lot of recent releases. That elusive A+ has been harder and harder to come by for projects. Friday’s box office returns saw the Zendaya vehicle hanging around $6.2 million with a similar position for Saturday as well. For Amazon, a lot of this is gravy because Challengers feels designed to lure people to their couches in a few months on Prime Video. Winds may be changing at theaters with so many people flocking to see musicals, romantic comedies and dramas in theaters. A weird 2024 continues to roll onward.
Zendaya’s Massive 2024 So Far
With Challengers at the top of the ladder right now, another of Zendaya’s movies is trying to re-enter the fray. Dune: Part Two recently announced that the Warner Bros. Picture would be hitting IMAX screens again. On release weekend, a lot of people were heartbroken to see what became of Zendaya’s character in that franchise. She talked to Fandango about Chani and Paul’s love story. It’s not what it seems midway through the film and from every indication, it was designed that way!
“So, the love story isn’t a given, right? It’s earned because, like I said, he represents to her, everything that represents pain, hurt and fear,” Zendaya explained. “And so, when she’s confronted with the feeling of, “Oh, wait a minute, I think I love this person.” That’s like the separation between mind and heart. And, how do you accept both of those things? Without giving anything away or ruining anything for anyone, whether you’ve read the books or not, there’s a lot of sacrifices that have to be made. For something that’s bigger than everyone. So, everybody has to sacrifice a little piece of their heart or a big piece, you know?”
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