Sydney Sweeney is coming out swinging after Christy becomes her third movie in a row this year to flop at the box office.
The 28-year-old actress took to Instagram on November 10 to address the underwhelming performance of her new movie Christy, a biopic of real-life boxing icon Christy Martin. For its opening weekend, the film earned just $1.3 million and barely scraped the top ten at the box office.
But for Sweeney, the project’s value goes far beyond ticket sales.
“I am so deeply proud of this movie,” she wrote, sharing behind-the-scenes photos from the biopic. “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.”
The Euphoria star continued, “so yes I'm proud. 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.”
“This film stands for survival, courage, and hope,” Sweeney wrote. “Through our campaigns, we’ve helped raise awareness for so many affected by domestic violence.”
The film follows real-life boxing champion Christy Martin, portrayed by Sweeney, who rose to fame in a male-dominated sport while surviving years of abuse at the hands of her husband and trainer, James (played by Ben Foster). Martin, now a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, became a symbol of resilience and hope.
Before the film’s November 7th premiere, Sweeney shared a powerful clip of Christy’s real testimony. Alongside the video, she wrote, “One of the first things I watched when I got this role was this video. Her powerful testimony at her ex husbands hearing. The man who tried to kill her. I hope this film helps so many others.”
In another Instagram post, the Anyone But You actress shared how the role “changed” her life, writing,“ [Christy’s] story made us fight harder for ourselves and for every woman who has ever been silenced.”
At Variety’s Power of Women event last month, she shared how portraying Martin changed her perspective: “Surviving isn’t the end of the story. It is the beginning of reclaiming it.”
