Over the weekend, David Michôd‘s (“Animal Kingdom”) latest film, “Christy,” had a bit of a sluggish domestic opening with $1.3 million, by no means an automatic reflection of the film’s quality or performances, but certainly those numbers are resting on the shoulders of lead actress Sydney Sweeney coming off the success of projects like the rom-com “Anyone But You” (earned an impressive $220 million globally).
With that in mind, Sweeney has taken to social media to respond to the film’s release and express how “proud” she was of the film, calling it “the most impactful project of my life.” Thanking audiences who decided to show up and support “Christy,” alongside the famed athlete as well.
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“I am so deeply proud of this movie, proud of the film David made. Proud of the story we told. proud to represent someone as strong and resilient as Christy Martin. This experience has been one of the greatest honors of my life. This film stands for survival, courage, and hope. Through our campaigns, we’ve helped raise awareness for so many affected by domestic violence. We all signed on to this film with the belief that Christy’s story could save lives. Thank you to everyone who saw, felt, and believed and will believe in this story for years to come. If Christy gave even one woman the courage to take her first step toward safety, then we will have succeeded. So yes, I’m proud. why? Because we don’t always just make art for numbers, we make it for impact. And Christy has been the most impactful project of my life. Thank you, Christy. I love you,” Sweeney posted Monday on Instagram, reiterating her love for the project.
It’s worth noting that Sweeney’s other specialty/drama releases from 2025 also struggled to make a huge splash at the box office, with Ron Howard‘s “Eden” (opening to $1 million) and Tony Tost‘s “Americana” (opening to $500,000). So, we have to assume that folks weren’t expecting bonkers-level returns on the dark sports drama that sees Sweeney playing the real-life pro boxer Christy Martin.
Unfortunately, the timing couldn’t be worse as Sweeney’s controversial American Eagle jeans ad (titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Good Jeans”) was brought back into the public eye last week (ahead of the release of “Christy”) after a bizarre response from the actress when asked directly (mind you, super awkwardly, as the interviwer admits they were tip-toeing around the subject) by GQ Magazine about the backlash surrounding the ad’s percived connection to eugenics (white supremacist quackery about genetic superiority based on race, championed by the Nazi Party and President Trump). She would refuse to really comment or denounce anything by simply stating, “I did a jean ad…I mean, the reaction was definitely a surprise, but I love jeans.” Nobody is really making the connection between that cringeworthy interview and the film’s box office results, but it’s hard to imagine it didn’t help turn off a small portion of moviegoers from attending screenings.
2025’s box office has been a mixed bag with plenty of blunders, successes, and surprises, but it is doubtful that “Christy” having a soft opening will really have a huge impact on Sweeney’s future projects. What you can say, at the very least, Sweeney has the right attitude in that recent Instagram post.
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