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Simplifying... Inshort

"Challengers," a tennis-themed movie, has outshone other films in its genre, raking in $19M in North America. It's even surpassed the earnings of other tennis movies like "Wimbledon," "King Richard," and "Battle of the Sexes."
Fun fact: the lead actresses of these films, Kirsten Dunst, Emma Stone, and Zendaya, have all starred in Spider-Man movies.
For director Luca Guadagnino, "Challengers" is a career high, being his highest-grossing film in the US and the one with the biggest budget of $55M.
The film, starring Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor, tells the story of three tennis players whose lives become intertwined.

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'Challengers' has lit the box office on fire

'Challengers' outperforms Luca Guadagnino's 'Call Me By Your Name'

By Shreya Mukherjee

May 02, 2024

11:27 am

What's the story

Luca Guadagnino's latest film, Challengers, has set a new record by becoming his most financially successful film to date. The tennis-themed romantic drama also holds the title of the highest-grossing tennis movie ever. It achieved these impressive box office records in just five days, surpassing the domestic earnings of Guadagnino's previous film, Call Me By Your Name (2017).

Box office success

'Challengers' surpassed other tennis-themed films

Challengers has not only outperformed Guadagnino's previous films but also other tennis-themed movies. It has, with a North American haul of $19M, surpassed the earnings of 2004's Wimbledon ($16M), 2021's King Richard ($15M), and 2017's Battle of the Sexes ($12M). Interestingly, all three lead actors in these films, Wimbledon, Battle of the Sexes, and Challengers—Kirsten Dunst, Emma Stone, and Zendaya—have also starred in live-action Spider-Man movies.

Career milestone

'Challengers' marks career peak for Guadagnino

For Guadagnino, Challengers signifies a career peak in several aspects. It is not only his highest-grossing film domestically (US) but also the one with the largest budget he has ever worked with, reportedly $55M. The title has so far generated nearly $30M worldwide. Starring Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor, Challengers revolves around three tennis players who get intertwined with each others' lives.