Sydney Sweeney might be one of Hollywood’s fastest-rising stars, but even her considerable star power couldn’t save her latest film, Americana, from a disastrous box office debut.
According to movieweb.com, the movie, which also features Paul Walter Hauser and Halsey, opened to a paltry $500,000 from over 1,100 screens, averaging a scant $436 per screen during its opening weekend.
This lackluster performance marks one of the worst box office debuts in recent history for a Hollywood film.
While the figures appear catastrophic, distributor Lionsgate is taking a long-term view. The studio’s Lionsgate Premiere Releasing banner focuses on a limited theatrical run as a precursor to digital streaming sales, a strategy designed for profitability rather than blockbuster success. Americana was never intended to be a huge theatrical hit, and the studio projects it will still turn a profit through digital downloads and streaming distribution deals.
The film, a crime-comedy-western from writer-director Tony Tost, has received mixed reviews but was more positively received by audiences who saw it. It follows a shy waitress (Sweeney) and a lovelorn veteran (Hauser) who become embroiled in a high-stakes crime over a rare Native American artefact. While its theatrical run may be short-lived, its performance serves as a reminder that even Hollywood’s most popular stars can’t guarantee box office success.
•Featured image courtesy Lionsgate
