Released in the U.S. on April 22, Oscar-nominated Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino’s spectacular romantic tennis melodrama “Challengers,” starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist, had an incredibly successful opening weekend and was met with exceedingly positive reviews.
The film’s box office yield over the weekend was $15 million, making it Guadagnino’s biggest opening ever. “Challengers” significantly outperformed the director’s former most popular works, such as “Call Me By Your Name” (2017), “Suspiria” (2018), and “Bones and All” (2022), which each never revenued more than $120,000 in their opening weekends.
The film tells the story of two best friends and tennis partners, Patrick, played by O’Connor, and Art, played by Faist, that are driven apart by an unconventional love triangle circled around the sport. It tastefully explores themes of competition, infidelity, friendship, obsession, and betrayal.
“This is a film in which the tennis metaphor is so extreme that at one point the audience takes on the perspective of the ball as it’s slapped around the court,” “Defector” writer Soraya Roberts said in her review.
The film exhibits not only Guadagnino’s spectacular vision and artistic ability as a filmmaker with enrapturing coloring, dialogue, and score, but also the acting range of Zendaya, who played the lead role of Tashi. The actress is superbly successful in taking on a more mature role and in a non-IP picture, her first where she plays a leading adult figure.
“She’s been playing teenagers for about as long as she’s been working.” Vogue writer Marley Marius said. “I’m always in a high school somewhere,” [Zendaya told vogue,] “And, mind you, I never went to high school.” So, to break away from that “was refreshing. And it was also kind of scary, because I was like, I hope people buy me as my own age, or maybe a little bit older, because I have friends that have kids, or are having kids.”
The film has also set the tone for summer fashion after luxury fashion brand Loewe launched the ‘I Told Ya’ collection, sported by Tashi and Patrick in the film.
“Challengers is getting everyone in fashion so excited, whether it’s because of the actress’ tennis-adorned stilettos on the red carpet or her sporty Loewe ensembles in the film.” “Harper’s Bazaar” fashion editor Amy De Klerk said in an article.
The soundtrack serves to facilitate one of the biggest goals for the writers of the film: tension. Justin Kuritzkes told Vanity Fair that he found non-verbal communication between opponents on the tennis court fascinating, and strived to incorporate it in the screenplay. In the final scene, in which Patrick and Art play their career-determining, bitter match against each other, non-verbal communication and tension between the two on the court as well as Tashi in the stands enthralls the audience, especially accompanied with pulsing EDM building up the tension.
“The juxtaposition of the violent music and the serene tennis court is almost an insult to the very nature of tennis,” TV features writer for Collider Billy Fellows said. “The soundtrack itself ramps up the stakes. Throughout Challengers, the audience has fallen in love with tennis. Now it seems like the music, combined with Patrick’s actions, is going to rip apart the fabric of the game.”
On the other hand, the soundtrack also utilizes classical music to accompany some of the more melodramatic scenes. This contrast between genres of music throughout the picture mirrors the characters’ clashing personalities but coherent collective fervor.
In conclusion, the electrifying music, stunning visuals, astounding acting and dialogue, and excellent directing makes Challengers a must-see for the summer.
