This past weekend continued a familiar pattern at the fall box office: adult-driven films are struggling to find an audience.
David Michôd’s boxing biopic “Christy” had one of the worst weekends of all time for a film opening in 2000+ theaters, pulling in a shockingly low $1.3M. “The Smashing Machine” suddenly looks like a box office juggernaut.
Much like Dwayne Johnson did following the disappointing debut of ‘Smashing,’ “Christy” star Sydney Sweeney took to instagram to defend the film and reflect on its significance:
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.
While the production budget has not been officially disclosed, estimates suggest it fell somewhere in the $30–40M range.
So why didn’t “Christy” connect with audiences? Signs point to a mix of low awareness, middling reviews, and the simple fact that boxing biopics rarely generate mass excitement. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently holds a 67% rating, with a 60 on Metacritic — which is solid but hardly breakout numbers.
With this performance, “Christy” joins a growing list of adult-oriented, Oscar-aiming films that have struggled this fall, including “The Smashing Machine,” “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,” “Anemone,” “Roofman, and “Kiss of the Spider-Woman.”
Want to know what all these titles — save for “Roofman” — have in common? They just weren’t very good. This decade, if you want to see a no-IP original film do well at the box office, you need to get glowing reviews. These films didn’t come close to that. And even if raves do come your way, there’s no guarantee — just ask “TÁR,” “The Fabelmans,” and “Black Bag.”
On a side note, I do wonder what’s next for Michôd. Remember, he shot a film for A24, “Wizards,” which still hasn’t been released and has been stuck in post-production limbo for three years now. “Christy” certainly doesn’t help his career. With no other projects on the horizon, maybe he should focus on finally getting “Wizards” out.
Remember when, back in August, we learned “The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth” would be playing in only around 350 U.S. theaters, "maybe fewer"? Well, it's fewer. A lot fewer.