Challengers Weekend Box Office Collection: Zendaya Scores Her First Solo Hit, Mints $15 Million

Challengers, starring Zendaya, is enjoying a great run at the box office. The film, which released on April 26, opened to $6.2 million on its first day, including $1.9 million in Thursday-night previews. It went on to win the weekend collection. The tennis drama follows a champion Art Donaldson (played by Mike Faist) who plots a comeback with the help of his wife (played by Zendaya), a former tennis prodigy. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the film also stars Josh O'Connor in a pivotal role.

Challengers weekend box office collection

Challengers opened in 3,477 locations in the U.S. and Canada and the ticket sales from large format screens, including IMAX, made up about 40 percent of the opening weekend grosses. In three days, the film minted $15 million in the United States and Canada, becoming the first solo movie of Zendaya to achieve the milestone. In other territories, the film earned $10 million, taking the worldwide total to $25 million.

The film marked the second-best start for the original R-rated movie since the pandemic after Don't Worry Darling.

Seeing the three-day box office collection, Challengers might become the highest-grossing film domestically by midweek. The 27-year-old actress has been part of several most successful franchises of the last few years, including the Spider-Man and Dune movies. It will be Zendaya's first solo film to leave a mark at the box office.

The romantic sports drama also impressed overseas, grossing $9 million from 52 markets. The film is doing well in Europe and Australia as well.

What else do we know about Challengers?

Challengers was originally supposed to release in September 2023 with a launch at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, but the makers pulled out due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. The film also stars Darnell Appling, AJ Lister, Hailey Gates, and others in supporting roles.