Sydney Sweeney is shrugging off the dismal box office start of “Christy,” a biographical drama in which she portrays the trailblazing boxer Christy Martin. The R-rated film was rejected with $1.3 million, ranking as one of the worst starts ever for a movie that was released in more than 2,000 North American theaters.
“We don’t always just make art for numbers, we make it for impact,” Sweeney captioned a lengthy Instagram post. “And Christy has been the most impactful project of my life.”
Directed by David Michôd and co-starring Ben Foster, Merritt Weaver and Katy O’Brian, “Christy” chronicles Martin’s rise to fame in the ring, as well as her coach-turned-husband’s attempted murder of her. In Variety’s review, chief film critic Owen Gleiberman praised Sweeney’s transformative performance and described “Christy” as a “wrenching portrait of abuse, enabling, gaslighting, and just how far domestic violence can go.”
“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,” Sweeney said in her Instagram post. “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.”
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“Christy” was the first theatrical release from Black Bear Pictures, which also produced the film for $15 million. The indie company has sold rights to the movie in several overseas territories, which will mitigate theatrical losses. “Christy” joins the ignominious group of several recent film festival darlings — Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson’s psychodrama “Die My Love,” “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” and “The Smashing Machine” were others — that failed to connect at the box office.
From Variety US