Copyright independent
Sydney Sweeney isn’t sweating the abysmal box office debut of her new boxing biopic, Christy. Directed by David Michôd and released in theaters last Friday, the sports drama stars Sweeney, 28, as female boxing legend Christy Martin, who competed in the ring from 1989 to 2012 and held the WBC female super welterweight title in 2009. The movie, about Martin’s historic rise to fame, opened to a mere $1.3 million at the domestic box office, making it one of the biggest box office flops in recent memory, according to Box Office Mojo. While the film screened in just 2,011 North American theaters, it averaged only $649 per location. For reference, Avengers: Endgame (2019) currently holds the record for the largest domestic opening weekend, with $357,115,007 in 4,662 theaters, averaging $76,601 per theater. Still, the Euphoria star, who also served as a producer on the film, isn’t letting the paltry figures affect her gratitude for the film’s impact. “I am so deeply proud of this movie,” Sweeney wrote Monday on Instagram, alongside a series of movie stills and behind-the-scenes pictures. “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,” she added. “This film stands for survival, courage, and hope. through our campaigns, we’ve helped raise awareness for so many affected by domestic violence.” She continued: “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,” Sweeney concluded. “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.” Christy, which had its world premiere in September at the Toronto International Film Festival, features a harrowing account of the severe physical and emotional abuse Martin suffered at the hands of her ex-husband and former manager, Jim. Martin, now 57, was 22 when she met Jim, who was 47 at the time. He agreed to coach her, and their relationship soon developed beyond a professional one. They got married in 1991. Throughout their marriage, Jim was mentally and physically abusive. In 2010, when Martin finally tried to end their marriage, Jim shot her and stabbed her several times, nearly killing her. He was later found guilty in 2012 of attempted second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Jim died last November while serving his sentence. Christy is out in theaters now.
