‘Rivals’, the new film by Luca Guadagnino, It has caused a lot of stir on social networks after its premiere, becoming the new obsession of Film Twitter. But has that hype been reflected at the box office? The answer is yes and no.
The sports psychodrama starring and produced by Zendaya debuts at number 1 at the US box office with $15 million collected in its first weekend, a figure that corresponds to the estimated projections prior to the premiere. It is a good result for the type of film it is, but its large budget could pose a significant challenge to recover the investment. Outside the United States, the film has made 10 million, which brings its global total for now to 25.
‘Rivals’ cost 55 million (not counting marketing expenses), of which 10 million went to Zendaya for her work as an actress and producer. It is the most expensive film of Guadagnino’s career and with 15 million in its first weekend, it is also It has become the best premiere of his filmography (‘Call Me By Your Name’ grossed only 18 overall in North America.)
Taking into account that ‘Rivals’ is a more risky proposal than usual on the billboard – a Rated-R film with an author’s approach and sexual charge, aimed exclusively at the adult audience and set in the world of tennis -, those 15 million are good sign, although they do not guarantee long-term success, especially considering that next week will have strong competition with ‘The Specialist’ from Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt.
In any case, it is very likely that Amazon MGM, the studio behind the project, did not expect ‘Rivals’ to be a big box office hit, nor does it need it. According to Kevin Wilson, head of distribution at Amazon MGM Studios, The company hopes the film will do very well on streaming when it debuts exclusively on Prime Video later.in a case potentially similar to that of ‘Saltburn’, one of the cinematic sensations of last season.
In the rest of the American box office, things are pretty dull. On the 2nd the Christian film ‘Unsung Hero’ is released, with 7.7 million dollars (it cost only 6). They are followed by ‘Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire’ at 3 with 7.2 million (181.7 in total), ‘Civil War’ in fourth place with 7 million (56.2 in total) and ‘Abigail’ in the 5 with 5.2 million, a poor result for the horror film, which has only raised 18.8 million dollars in the United States.
Zendaya, star
In any case, what is clear is that Zendaya has reason to celebrate, since thanks to her latest releases, her cachet is skyrocketing. In fact, according to a PostTrak study (via Variety), viewers have gone to see ‘Rivals’ for herciting his name as the main claim, above the film itself.
And not only that, but this week, his previous film, ‘Dune: Part Two’, has surpassed the threshold of 700 million dollars worldwide, confirming that We are facing one of the main representatives of the new Hollywood star system.
