Sydney Sweeney Shrugs Off Christy Box Office Flop: “We Make [Art] for Impact”

Sydney Sweeney’s Oscar swing, Christy, took it on the chin at the box office over the weekend, grossing only $1.3 million domestically. According to Box Office Mojo (via TheWrap), this ranks the boxing biopic among the Top 10 worst openings for a new release across more than 2,000 screens.

However, Sweeney isn’t taking the flop lying down. In an Instagram post, she expressed her appreciation for playing pioneering boxer Christy Martin — a role that required her to gain 30 pounds of muscle — and for being able to help raise awareness for domestic violence. The actress also said they didn’t make the film just “for numbers,” but rather to make an “impact.”

“I am so deeply proud of this movie,” Sweeney wrote before praising the work of director David Michôd, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Mirrah Foulkes. She added that she was “proud to represent someone as strong and resilient as Christy Martin,” calling the experience “one of the greatest honors of my life.”

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She continued, “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… 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,” she 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.”

Martin, nicknamed “the Coal Miner’s Daughter,” was the most recognized female boxer of the 1990s, becoming the first woman to sign with star-making promoter Don King. In 2010, she survived a murder attempt by her former manager and husband, Jim Martin.

Beyond Christy’s mixed 67% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the promo cycle hasn’t done the film any favors. For example, a recent GQ interview drew more attention for Sweeney breaking her silence about the American Eagle jeans ad that drew a response from the White House.

However, Sweeney didn’t have much to say. “I didn’t really see a lot of it,” she told GQ, adding that the attention was “surreal,” but “didn’t affect me one way or the other.”

Combine this with Christy being the first film distributed in the US by Black Bear Pictures, and it didn’t really have much of a chance at box office success.

To put things in perspective, The Smashing Machine, Dwayne Johnson’s biopic of MMA fighter Mark Kerr, had a far greater backing from A24 and additional starpower from Emily Blunt. Still, its domestic opening weekend wasn’t much stronger at $5.8 million.