| Challengers | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Luca Guadagnino |
| Written by | Justin Kuritzkes |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Sayombhu Mukdeeprom |
| Edited by | Marco Costa |
| Music by | |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 131 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $55 million[2] |
| Box office | $96.1 million[3][4] |
Challengers is a 2024 Americanromanticsports film directed byLuca Guadagnino and written byJustin Kuritzkes. It follows thelove triangle between an injured tennis star-turned-coach (Zendaya), her low-circuit tennis player ex-boyfriend (Josh O'Connor), and her tennis champion husband (Mike Faist) across 13 years of their relationship, culminating in the match between her ex-boyfriend and husband on theATP Challenger Tour.
Kuritzkes' screenplay was acquired byMGM in February 2022, with the main cast and Guadagnino being hired shortly after; Zendaya, O'Connor, and Faist trained for months with former tennis player and coachBrad Gilbert to prepare for their roles.Principal photography ran from May to June 2022, primarily inBoston.Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, who previously worked with Guadagnino onCall Me by Your Name (2017) andSuspiria (2018), served as cinematographer.
Delayed from an initial September 2023 release in response to the2023 SAG-AFTRA strike,Challengers premiered inSydney on March 26, 2024, and was theatrically released in the United States byAmazon MGM Studios one month later. The film grossed $96 million worldwide and received positive reviews from critics. Among its accolades were four nominations at the82nd Golden Globe Awards (includingBest Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy), where it wonBest Original Score.
In 2006, best friends Patrick Zweig and Art Donaldson win the boys' junior doubles title at theUS Open. They watch Tashi Duncan, a rising star, win the girls’ junior singles final, and both Patrick and Art become infatuated with her. After meeting at a party, Tashi joins Art and Patrick in their hotel room, where all three kiss before Tashi abruptly ends the tryst. She promises to give her phone number to whoever wins the boys’ singles final the next day. When Art asks what she wants out of the match, she states she’d want “to watch some good fucking tennis.” Patrick wins the match, and later signals to Art that he had sex with Tashi by placing the ball in the neck of his racket prior to serving, atic of Art's.
In 2007, Tashi and Art play college tennis atStanford University, while Patrick turns professional and begins a long-distance relationship with Tashi. Art suggests to Tashi that Patrick does not love her. When Patrick visits Stanford, Art similarly suggests to him that Tashi does not take the relationship seriously. Tashi and Patrick have an argument over her attempts to coach Patrick in tennis, and Patrick skips her match as a result; while playing, Tashi is distracted and tears herACL. Patrick comes to see Tashi, but Tashi angrily demands he leave. Art sides with her, ending his friendship with Patrick. Art aids in Tashi's recovery, but her injury ends her tennis career.
In 2009, Tashi reconnects with Art, now a professional player, and becomes his coach and girlfriend. In 2011, Tashi and Art are now engaged, and Art's career is on the rise. Tashi and Patrick run into each other at theAtlanta Open and have a one-night stand, which Art notices.
In 2019, Tashi and Art are a wealthy power couple with a young daughter. Art is only one US Open title away from aCareer Grand Slam, but has been struggling due to injury and age. Tashi enters Art as awild card in aChallenger event inNew Rochelle, New York, hoping to boost his confidence and return him to form. Patrick, who is living out of his car and scraping by on winnings from the lower circuits, happens to enter the New Rochelle Challenger as well.
Sensing Art's disillusionment, Patrick asks Tashi to coach him to a last winning season. She refuses, but keeps the slip of paper with his phone number on it. Starting at opposite ends of the seeding, Art and Patrick advance through the brackets until they find themselves facing each other in the final. The day before the final match, Patrick attempts to reconnect with Art, but Art rebuffs him.
The evening before the final, Art tells Tashi he plans to retire at the end of the season whether he wins the Open or not. Tashi is unhappy, but reluctantly accepts Art's decision. That night, Tashi secretly meets with Patrick to ask him to throw the match to Art, claiming it is to boost his confidence and to save their marriage. Patrick is disgusted but then agrees, and he and Tashi have a passionate argument before having sex inside his car.
The day of the final, Tashi watches as Art and Patrick play. Patrick wins the first set, and Art the second. Although the match remains close, Art reaches a match point. Patrick signals that he has slept with Tashi using Art's serve tic, which Tashi cannot decode. Stunned, Art allows Patrick to score to bring the match to a final tie break.
During the tie break, Art and Patrick furiously trade groundstrokes, both reminded of their passion for the sport. Therally intensifies and Art jumps for avolley at the net. As Art lunges for a final shot, he collides with Patrick over the net and the two embrace. Tashi leaps from her seat and yells, “Come on!”
WriterJustin Kuritzkes was inspired to make a tennis film after watching the2018 U.S. Open match betweenSerena Williams andNaomi Osaka, in which Williams was penalized for receiving coaching from the sidelines. He had never heard of the rule and thought the fact that the player could not talk with such an important figure during the match seemed cinematic. He observed, "What if you really had to talk about something important that went beyond tennis? Something going on with you personally?" While doing research for the script, he readAndre Agassi's memoirOpen, in which Agassi recounts how his then-coachBrad Gilbert entered him into aChallenger event in Nevada. This served as inspiration for Art's arc in the film.[8]
Kuritzkes also knew what the characters' origins were while writing: "Tashi was always aBlack woman. Patrick was always a very well-to-doJewish guy, and Art was always a somewhat well-to-doWASP." He thought that a story about tennis with no Black characters would be weird because "that is the story of American women's tennis, if you look at all of the big superstars from the past decade".[9] The script landed onThe Black List, an annual list of the best unproduced scripts inHollywood, in December 2021.[10] That same year, producing partnersAmy Pascal and Rachel O'Connor read the script. Pascal had been wanting to work with directorLuca Guadagnino for a long time, and sent him the script while he was filming the short filmO Night Divine starringJohn C. Reilly. Guadagnino recalled, "I had the script on set, hiding myself from John C., not showing him that I was reading while I was directing. Anyway, I found it amazing."[9] In a 2022 interview withCollider, Guadagnino cited Kuritzkes' screenplay, Pascal, andZendaya as inspirations for making the film.[11] At the behest of Guadagnino, Kuritzkes modified the script to add a scene where Patrick and Art end up kissing each other: "Luca felt it was very important that, in any love triangle, all the corners touch, and I quickly realized he meant it literally."[9]
In early 2022,MGM's then-chairman Kevin Ulrich met with Guadagnino to discuss distributing the independently financedBones and All. During the meeting, Guadagnino told Ulrich he was also in the midst of developing a "sexy tennis story starring Zendaya". Ulrich contactedMichael De Luca andPamela Abdy, the then-heads of MGM, and they negotiated a two-picture deal over the next 24 hours to pick up both films. WhenAmazon completed its acquisition of MGM, it latter inherited the films, and Zendaya gained a $10 million paycheck as both star and producer.[9] In February 2022, the film was announced with Zendaya,Josh O'Connor, andMike Faist set to star.[12]
Pascal's first choice to play Tashi was Zendaya, whom she knew from working on severalSpider-Man films with, and passed her the script. Zendaya accepted the role, as it would be a departure from the teenagers she was used to portraying, and she felt it was the right time to move into more adult roles: "It was nice to play a character that was not a child anymore. It was also interesting playing parts of my life that I haven't experienced yet: I've not gotten married. I've not had a child. Those milestones, I don't necessarily have a direct reference point for."[9]
Guadagnino suggested Josh O'Connor should play the cocky Patrick. For the role of Art, Guadagnino consideredWest Side Story star Mike Faist, whose agent insisted he read the script; Faist then agreed to travel toLondon for ascreen test with Zendaya. He later said, "I thought, 'Why not? If I don't get the job, I got a trip out of it.'" He thought that the audition had gone badly, but Guadagnino loved his interpretation of the character. Faist said that Guadagnino's main preoccupations were that he was blond and that his body should be hairless. Faist was put off by the idea of shaving his body, but Guadagnino felt that he needed to be "aerodynamic" as an athlete.[9] Zendaya stated that herself, Faist and O'Connor had agroup chat where she was the "mom" of the group and that both actors made her "feel safe and supported as a scene partner".[13]
Zendaya's best friend and personal assistant Darnell Appling portrayed the umpire at theNew Rochelle Final. Guadagnino wanted him to sit on the umpire chair during a camera test; he thought he would just be acting as a stand-in, as he had done previously in other Zendaya projects. Guadagnino instead asked him to play the part, which he accepted with Zendaya's blessing. To prepare for the role, Guadagnino asked Appling to attend umpire school. Appling spent three weeks filming his role.[6][14]
Principal photography began on May 3, 2022, inBoston, where a casting call took place for local residents to audition to play tennis players, general extras, and stand-ins.[15] In preparation for their roles, Zendaya, Faist, and O'Connor spent three months training with pro-tennis player-turned-coachBrad Gilbert.[16][9] Faist had to gain 30 pounds for the film. Gilbert, who was also a consultant on the film, said: "Mike had to eat between 8,000 to 10,000 calories a day because they wanted him to gain weight. He was super thin. He had to work on his tennis and gain like 30 pounds. I had Zendaya inLos Angeles, so we got her on a program right away, and Josh was working, so [Faist] had the latest start." During training, the actors started at 6 a.m., were at the tennis center until noon, and then would act in the afternoon.[17] Filming occurred in and around theBack Bay andEast Boston neighborhoods.[18]Sayombhu Mukdeeprom served as cinematographer.[19] Irish fashion designerJonathan Anderson, who at the time served as creative director of Spanish luxury brandLoewe, worked as the film's costume designer.[20] Filmingwrapped on June 26, 2022.[21]
Guadagnino visited Zendaya on the set ofDune: Part Two in order to completeADR forChallengers.[22]Trent Reznor andAtticus Ross composed the film's score, having previously worked with Guadagnino on 2022'sBones and All.[23] Guadagnino approached them to scoreChallengers by sending them an email that read, "Do you want to be on my next film? It's going to be super sexy."[24]Post-production was completed by April 2023.[25]
The film's original score was composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. A remixed version was released in collaboration withBoys Noize.[26]
The film was previously set to be released on September 15, 2023,[27] and before that August 11, 2023.[28] The film was also scheduled to have its world premiere as the opening film of the80th Venice International Film Festival,[29] but was delayed and pulled out from the festival byAmazon MGM Studios due to the2023 SAG-AFTRA strike at the time.[30]
Challengers premiered inSydney, Australia on March 26, 2024, followed by premieres inParis, London and at theWestwood Village Theater in Los Angeles, the latter of which had tennis playerVenus Williams in attendance.[31]
It was released in theaters andIMAX in the United States and Canada by Amazon MGM Studios on April 26, 2024, the same month as the centennial anniversary of the founding of MGM on April 17.[32][30][33]
Warner Bros. Pictures serves as the film's international distributor.[34] Although the film was initially set for adirect-to-streaming release onAmazon Prime Video in France instead of a theatrical release, the decision was reversed in January 2024, meaning the film would start streaming on the service 17 months after its initial theatrical release. The film was released there on April 24, 2024, 2 days before its release in the United States, although a spokesperson forWarner Bros. Discovery initially denied this, stating the film had not been dated for a French theatrical release yet.[35][36][4]
The film was made available onVOD on May 17, 2024.[37] It was released onBlu-ray andDVD on July 9, 2024.[38]
Challengers grossed $50.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $45.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $96 million.[4][3]
In the United States and Canada,Challengers was released alongsideBoy Kills World andUnsung Hero, and was projected to gross $12–15 million from 3,477 theaters in its opening weekend.[39][2] The film made $6.2 million on its first day, including $1.9 million in Thursday night previews.[40] It went on to debut to $15 million, topping the box office and marking the best domestic opening weekend of Guadagnino's career.[41] In its second weekend the film made $7.9 million (a drop of 49%), finishing third behind newcomerThe Fall Guy and the re-release ofStar Wars: The Phantom Menace.[42] It then made $4.4 million in its third weekend.[43]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 88% of 372 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8/10. The website's consensus reads: "With its trio of outstanding performers volleying their star power back and forth without ever dropping the ball,Challengers is a kinetic and sexy romp at court."[44]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 82 out of 100, based on 64 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[45] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled byPostTrak gave it a 77% overall positive score, with 59% saying they would definitely recommend it.[41]
NPR includedChallengers in its list of the best movies and TV of 2024, with criticLinda Holmes writing that "A pounding score, adventurous editing and one of the smartest weird endings in recent memory completes a movie not quite like any other."[46]
FilmmakersEdward Berger,Kelly Fremon Craig,Lena Dunham,Hannah Fidell,Parker Finn,Chad Hartigan,Matt Johnson,Karyn Kusama,David Lowery,JT Mollner,Lance Oppenheim,Rich Peppiatt,Daniel Scheinert,Celine Song,Nicholas Stoller andTyler Taormina also praised the film.[47][48][49]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astra Midseason Movie Awards | July 3, 2024 | Best Picture | Challengers | Nominated | [50] [51] |
| Best Director | Luca Guadagnino | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor | Josh O'Connor | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Zendaya | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Mike Faist | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Justin Kuritzkes | Won | |||
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | November 20, 2024 | Best Original Song – Feature Film | "Compress/Repress" –Trent Reznor,Atticus Ross & Luca Guadagnino | Nominated | [52] |
| Best Original Score – Feature Film | Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross | Nominated | |||
| Gotham Awards | December 2, 2024 | Best Feature | Luca Guadagnino, Rachel O'Connor,Amy Pascal, and Zendaya | Nominated | [53] |
| Spotlight Tribute | Zendaya | Won | [54] | ||
| Winter IndieWire Honors | December 5, 2024 | Impact Award | Justin Kuritzkes, Amy Pascal, Luca Guadagnino & Rachel O’Connor | Won | [55] |
| Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards | December 8, 2024 | Best Picture | Challengers | Nominated | [56] |
| Best Musical or Comedy | Won | ||||
| Best Original Screenplay | Justin Kuritzkes | Nominated | |||
| December 8, 2024 | Best Cinematography | Sayombhu Mukdeeprom | Nominated | ||
| Best Film Editing | Marco Costa | Won | |||
| Best Marketing Campaign | Challengers | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Score | Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross | Nominated | |||
| Best Sound | Challengers | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Song | "Compress/Repress" – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross | Nominated | |||
| Boston Society of Film Critics | December 8, 2024 | Best Editing | Marco Costa | Won | [57] |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | December 8, 2024 | Best Music | Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross | Won | [58] |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | December 8, 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Justin Kuritzkes | Nominated | [59] |
| Best Original Score | Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross | Won | |||
| San Diego Film Critics Society | December 9, 2024 | Best Picture | Challengers | Nominated | [60] |
| Best Original Screenplay | Justin Kuritzkes | Runner-up | |||
| Best Editing | Marco Costa | Runner-up | |||
| Best Use of Music | Challengers | Runner-up | |||
| Chicago Film Critics Association | December 12, 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Justin Kuritzkes | Nominated | [61] |
| Best Cinematography | Sayombhu Mukdeeprom | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Marco Costa | Won | |||
| Best Original Score | Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross | Won | |||
| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle | December 15, 2024 | Best Editing | Marco Costa | Nominated | [62] |
| Best Original Score | Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross | Nominated | |||
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 15, 2024 | Best Original Score | Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross | Runner-up | [63] |
| New York Film Critics Online | December 16, 2024 | Use Of Music | Challengers | Nominated | [64] |
| Toronto Film Critics Association | December 15, 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Justin Kuritzkes | Runner-up | [65] |
| Seattle Film Critics Society | December 16, 2024 | Best Picture | Challengers | Nominated | [66] |
| Best Supporting Actor | Josh O'Connor | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Score | Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross | Won | |||
| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association | December 18, 2024 | Best Musical Score | Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross | 2nd Place | [67] |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | December 20, 2024 | Best Actor | Josh O'Connor | Nominated | [68] |
| Best Ensemble | Challengers | Nominated | |||
| Best Director | Luca Guadagnino | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Screenplay | Justin Kuritzkes | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography | Sayombhu Mukdeeprom | Nominated | |||
| Best Score/Soundtrack | Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross | Won | |||
| Kansas City Film Critics Circle | January 4, 2025 | Best Original Score | Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross | Won | [69] |
| Golden Globe Awards | January 5, 2025 | Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Challengers | Nominated | [70] |
| Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Zendaya | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Score | Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross | Won | |||
| Best Original Song | "Compress/Repress" – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Luca Guadagnino | Nominated | |||
| Austin Film Critics Association | January 6, 2025 | Best Original Screenplay | Justin Kuritzkes | Nominated | [71] |
| Best Original Score | Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross | Nominated | |||
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | February 7, 2025 | Best Original Screenplay | Justin Kuritzkes | Nominated | [72] |
| Best Editing | Marco Costa | Won | |||
| Best Score | Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross | Won | |||
| Best Song | "Compress/Repress" – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Luca Guadagnino | Nominated | |||
| Alliance Of Women Film Journalists Awards | January 7, 2025 | Best Ensemble Cast and Casting Director | Challengers | Nominated | [73] |
| Women Film Critics Circle | January 15, 2025 | Best Equality of the Sexes | Challengers | Won | [74] |
| American Cinema Editors Eddie Awards | March 14, 2025 | Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy, Theatrical) | Marco Costa | Nominated | [75] |
| Houston Film Critics Society | January 22, 2025 | Best Original Score | Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross | Won | [76] |
| Best Original Song | "Compress/Repress" – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross | Nominated | |||
| Online Film Critics Society | January 27, 2025 | Best Picture | Challengers | Nominated | [77] |
| Best Original Screenplay | Justin Kuritzkes | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Marco Costa | Won | |||
| Best Original Score | Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross | Won | |||
| Costume Designers Guild | February 6, 2025 | Excellence in Contemporary Film | Jonathan Anderson | Nominated | [78] |
| Grammy Awards | February 2, 2025 | Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media | Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross | Nominated | [79] |
| International Cinephile Society | February 9, 2025 | Best Picture | Challengers | 15th place | [80] |
| Best Original Screenplay | Justin Kuritzkes | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Marco Costa | Nominated | |||
| Best Score | Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross | Runner-up | |||
| Best Sound Design | Craig Berkey, Paul Carter | Nominated | |||
| Black Reel Awards | February 17, 2025 | Outstanding Film | Challengers | Nominated | [81] |
| Outstanding Lead Performance | Zendaya | Nominated | |||
| Artios Awards | February 12, 2025 | Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Big Budget Feature (Comedy) | Francine Maisle, Molly Rose | Nominated | [82] |
| Society of Composers & Lyricists | February 12, 2025 | Outstanding Original Song for a Comedy or Musical Visual Media Production | "Compress/Repress" – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross | Won | [83] |
| Dorian Awards | February 13, 2025 | Film of the Year | Challengers | Nominated | [84] |
| LGBTQ Film of the Year | Challengers | Nominated | |||
| Director of the Year | Luca Guadagnino | Nominated | |||
| Screenplay of the Year | Justin Kuritzkes | Won | |||
| LGBTQ Screenplay of the Year | Justin Kuritzkes | Nominated | |||
| Film Music of the Year | Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross | Won | |||
| Writers Guild of America | February 15, 2025 | Best Original Screenplay | Justin Kuritzkes | Nominated | [85] |
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