The sports drama Christy, starring Sydney Sweeney, faces an uphill battle at the box office, having been released mere weeks after a similarly themed Dwayne Johnson film, The Smashing Machine, faltered significantly. This unfortunate timing saw The Smashing Machine pivot to PVOD platforms around the same period that Christy debuted in theaters.

Sydney Sweeney, in particular, is in critical need of a box office success following a series of disappointing performances with her recent projects. Christy, in its initial three-day domestic debut, managed to secure only $1.6 million. In comparison, The Smashing Machine, despite ultimately tanking with a domestic total of $11 million against a reported budget of $50 million, still opened stronger with nearly $6 million in a similar timeframe, albeit playing in approximately 1,000 more theaters. Directed by Benny Safdie, The Smashing Machine marked Johnson's most significant box office flop despite receiving mostly positive reviews.

For Sweeney, Christy represents an opportunity to rebound after appearing in films such as Madame Web, which garnered terrible reviews and grossed around $100 million on an $80 million budget; the long-delayed dark comedy Americana, which earned less than $1 million; and Ron Howard's ensemble film Eden, which made only a fraction of its $50 million budget. Critics, however, have largely lauded Sweeney's performance as boxer Christy Martin in Christy, with some even generating Oscar buzz for her transformative portrayal.

Directed by David Michôd, known for his work with actors like Brad Pitt, Timothée Chalamet, and Robert Pattinson, Christy currently holds a 66% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The aggregator's consensus highlights its strengths and weaknesses: "While Christy falters in tonal cohesion and emotional impact, it remains a compelling showcase for Sydney Sweeney's transformative performance, grounding a mythic genre in raw, personal storytelling." Ross Bonaime of Collider described it as a "fairly rote boxing film" but specifically praised Sweeney, stating that the movie "allows Sweeney to show what she’s got, and it’s a fantastic role for the actress, one that will likely silence the doubters."

The film, produced by Brent Stiefel, Kerry Kohansky-Roberts, Sydney Sweeney, Teddy Schwarzman, John Friedberg, Michael Heimler, Justin Lothrop, Brad Zimmerman, and David Levine, features Ben Foster alongside Sweeney in the role of James V. Martin. With a runtime of 135 minutes, Christy is a drama and history film written by Mirrah Foulkes and David Michôd. Given its current trajectory, Christy is projected to struggle to reach even $10 million domestically, underscoring Sweeney's ongoing challenge to secure a commercial hit.