Sydney Sweeney’s new biopic Christy stumbled in theaters, but the reasons are industry-wide and predictable rather than a tidy culture-war headline blaming her politics or internet chatter. The film’s modest box office, mixed reviews, niche subject matter and weak marketing all played a role, and the louder claim that her supposed “bad public image” tanked the picture doesn’t hold up under scrutiny. Below I walk through why audiences skipped it, why Sweeney’s performance still matters, and how broader trends in Hollywood and viewing habits explain the flop more clearly than online outrage ever could.
I’m a fan of Sydney Sweeney and I like how she handles interviews; that viral moment with GQ’s Katherine Stoeffel only boosted her public profile. But a viral clip and meme traction don’t automatically sell movie tickets for a drama about a female boxer. The leap from being a popular cultural moment to moving millions of people into theater seats is huge, and most films don’t clear it without broad awareness or a genre that appeals to mass audiences.
Sydney Sweeney’s new movie, Christy, has suffered a brutal opening round at the box office with just $1.3 million from North American theaters.
The biopic sees the Madame Web star assume the role of boxer Christy Martin in what many consider to be an Oscar-bait performance. But the critical reception is mixed, with IGN’s Christy review returning a 7/10. We said: “Sydney Sweeney blazes trails and pulls no punches in a choppy biopic that falters at the finish.”
The R-rated Christy, though, is on the ropes right out of the gate, with $1.305 million from 2,011 theaters domestically. That’s a per-theater average (PTA) of just $649, and is one of the worst openings ever for a film in over 2,000 theaters.
Some reactions online jumped straight to blame. One post flatly declared: “The failure of ‘CHRISTY’ is solely due to Sydney Sweeney’s BAD public image on the internet. All her controversies have snowballed, each one worse than the last, and she chose to stay silent — which is NOT the solution. Just think back to the Immaculate era: she didn’t have these issues, or at least not to this extreme, and the film was well received. People online loved it and went to see it. You can’t sell a film about domestic violence, feminism, and LGBTIQ+ themes to conservatives and Republicans.”
That argument assumes multiple controversies and a right-leaning boycott, but the record doesn’t support it. There was a single, overblown stir over an ad that most of the outrage came from the Left, not conservatives. Turning a messy internet moment into the primary cause of a film’s box office failure ignores simpler realities about audience taste and distribution.
For starters, Christy is a biopic about a particular fighter, Christy Martin, not a household name to most viewers. Films about niche sports figures have a narrow built-in audience unless they’re backed by massive marketing or a superstar attached in an action tentpole role. Sweeney’s dramatic commitment—she gained 30 pounds for the role—is admirable and critics noticed, but that kind of transformation doesn’t guarantee a wide release payday.
Film critic Chris Gore gave the film a solid review, saying, “Sydney Sweeney as Christy transformed herself. She put on 30 pounds. She does not look like the Sydney Sweeney that we saw recently,” referencing the revealing dress Sweeney recently wore.
“I think she is in line…I can see her getting a nomination for Best Actress,” Gore said. “Usually with Best Actress, they give it to an actress who’s been around a while and earned it.”
“This, she really put her skills to the test,” Gore added. Co-host Alan Ng said, “I think it’s a very good movie. It was better than I thought it would be.”
“Sydney Sweeney does a great job of transforming herself,” Ng added. “I think this is better acted…she’s not Meryl Streep yet, but you can definitely see an improvement.”
Compare Christy to other recent sports biopics: even with mainstream names involved, budgets in the tens of millions don’t guarantee global grosses. Dwayne Johnson’s The Smashing Machine, with a similar budget (roughly $40 million), opened modestly and has landed around $20 million worldwide so far. If politics were the decisive factor, you’d expect wildly different outcomes for films based on an actor’s purported political leanings. Reality shows a weak marketplace for this kind of movie across the board.
Marketing and awareness mattered too. I only heard about Christy from industry chatter and YouTube coverage, not from mass TV spots or a big national push. When the average moviegoer isn’t aware a film is in theaters, they can’t choose to see it. That’s a distribution and publicity failure more than a cast controversy.
Then there are the structural trends: streaming, post-COVID comfort, and a steady churn of what many see as heavily politicized or “woke” big studio output that has alienated parts of the audience. Folks are pickier about shelling out for a ticket and moviegoing has become an experience people reserve for clear, proven entertainment value.
So no, Sydney Sweeney’s politics are not the smoking gun for Christy’s box office troubles. The evidence points to a small target audience, mixed critical reaction, modest marketing, and an industry climate where mid-budget dramas have a hard time breaking through. Her performance deserves attention even if the movie itself didn’t set the box office on fire.
