Bad news out of the Venice Film Festival: Variety reports that Luca Guadagnino‘s “Challengers” will no longer be the opening film on the Lido this year. What’s more, MGM/Amazon Studios have pushed back the tennis love triangle drama’s US theatrical release to next spring, too. Instead of a September 15 release, “Challengers” will debut in theaters on April 26, 2024.
The reasons for the sudden change are obvious, given the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. Zendaya, who’s one of the most popular actresses on the planet at the moment, won’t be available for red carpet press in Venice due to the strike. Nor will her two co-leads Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist. And MGM wants and needs Zendaya’s star power to launch “Challengers” stateside. Guada is beloved by cinephiles worldwide, but his movies don’t make massive money in the US. Meanwhile, Zendaya has 200 million social media followers and is one of the most followed Instagram users worldwide, which led to the first “Challengers” trailer becoming the most viewed trailer for an original film in its first 24 hours; that’s 150 million global views.
In other words, this is a calculated move by the film’s studios to reckon with its star actress being unavailable for promotional appearances. But the absence of “Challengers” and its cast at the Lido this year takes the wind of the festival’s sails for a number of reasons. For one, a new Guadagnino opening Venice is a special treat for both the Italian filmmaker and his fans. Two: the swift release schedule changes for “Challengers” foretell that more films will follow suit soon, potentially throwing the Fall movie release calendar into chaos. And three: with Venice opening the Fall film festival circuit, how many other films will decide to postpone their premieres and wait for release until the SAG-AFTRA strike ends?
So what will replace “Challengers” as the opening film at Venice this year? The honor goes to Edoardo De Angelis’ “Comandante,” starring Pierfrancesco Favino, a World War II epic about an Italian Royal Navy submarine captain. Venice director Alberto Barbera said Angelis’ film “reverberates with unambiguously contemporary echoes.” The film opens the festival and August 30 for its world premiere in competition for the Golden Lion. It’s worth noting that “Challengers” was not in competition at this year’s festival.
As for “Challengers,” its new release date on April 26 has it kicking off the 2024 summer film season in style. No other films are set for wide release on that date yet, but “Deadpool 3” opens up the next weekend (for now), on May 3, 2024. But given all of the recent release schedule shake-ups, expect that Marvel Studios and other studios will likely swap release dates for upcoming films around soon.
The Venice Film Festival runs from August 30 through September 9.