Zendaya and ‘Challengers’ serve up a box office championship

The tennis drama wiped the court with new release ‘Unsung Hero’ and returning films ‘Godzilla x Kong,’ ‘Civil War’ and ‘Abigail.’

Zendaya and ‘Challengers’ serve up a box office championship
Mike Faist, Zendaya and Josh O’Connor in Challengers. / MGM

Hello! Welcome to The Box Office Report for the weekend of April 26-28, 2024.

1. Challengers

Weekend gross: $15M
Total domestic gross: $15M
Last weekend: New release
Percent drop: NA

It was another quiet week at the box office, but that lull gave Zendaya her second No. 1 movie of 2024. The Dune: Part Two star headlined Challengers, the latest film from Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino.

While Challengers’ $15 million weekend is a blip for Zendaya when it comes to debuts (her résumé includes four opening weekends of $80 million or higher), it’s the biggest opening weekend of Guadagnino’s career. It’s also the second biggest domestic haul for any of his films, barely trailing the $18.1 million lifetime haul for Call Me By Your Name.

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2. Unsung Hero

Weekend gross: $7.8M
Total domestic gross: $7.8M
Last weekend: New release
Percent drop: NA

I had to look this one up. According to Wikipedia, Full House star Candace Cameron Bure is part of the cast, which makes Unsung Hero the biggest opening weekend of her acting career.