Sydney Sweeney PR team urges journalists to defend Christy flop as indie cinema amid box office failure

Sydney Sweeney’s team allegedly contacts journalists to soften Christy’s poor performance

Sydney Sweeney’s latest biographical drama Christy is facing significant box office turbulence, but the actress’s publicity team is allegedly working to steer the narrative in a more sympathetic direction. According to reports and social media claims, Sweeney’s representatives have privately contacted journalists, urging them not to disparage the film and to emphasize its status as an “independent cinema” project.

got this PR email today, never got one like it before -- her team's down BAD https://t.co/KuLKNa0BWg pic.twitter.com/IT1O07ITS4

— Eric Italiano (@ericitaIiano) November 11, 2025

The boxing biopic, which tells the story of trailblazing fighter Christy Martin, opened to disappointing results, ranking among the worst wide-release debuts ever recorded, per Box Office Mojo. Despite its commercial underperformance, the film has received a mixed critical response, with a 66% critics’ score and an impressive 97% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

 

 

 

 

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While Christy is being promoted as an indie project, its production background complicates that label. The film was produced by Anonymous Content, Yoki, Inc., Votiv, Fifty-Fifty Films, and Black Bear Pictures — the latter also serving as its U.S. distributor. With a reported production budget of $30–40 million (via World of Reel), the movie’s financial losses are likely substantial. Critics argue that while the film may adopt an indie aesthetic and focus on character-driven storytelling, it does not meet the traditional definition of independent cinema, which typically involves limited budgets and full creative control outside the studio system.

Adding to its challenges, Christy was released amid controversy surrounding Sweeney’s recent American Eagle advertisement. The campaign’s tagline, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” drew backlash for alleged racial undertones, with accusations that it echoed supremacist rhetoric. In a GQ interview promoting Christy, Sweeney declined to elaborate on the controversy, which many felt further harmed her public image.

The Christy setback follows a string of underperforming films for Sweeney in 2025, including Americana and Eden, which also struggled commercially. As her team works to reframe Christy as a misunderstood artistic venture, the actress’s year in the spotlight continues to be defined as much by controversy as by cinema.