With a Soaring 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, Zendaya Hits an Ace With ‘Challengers’ Debut

Published 04/26/2024, 11:52 PM EDT

Zendaya, through countless endeavors, has shown that she is born to be a star. What started with simply shaking it off on Disney has now unraveled into a career decorated with Emmys. The actress is constantly on the hunt for projects that challenge her both physically and emotionally. And Challengers could not have been any more perfect for Zendaya, not just because of its name but also because of the performance it extracted from her.

As the movie made its way to the theaters this weekend, given its hype on the Internet, the critics had their pens painted red, only to be proven wrong.

Zendaya emerges a winner with Challengers

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Contrary to the notion that Disney stars have it easy in the industry, when she tried to establish herself as a Hollywood heavyweight, Zendaya was constantly met with cries of 'tween idol'. However, with a 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes within a day, Challengers seems to have changed all of that.

The booming approval on Rotten Tomatoes is not the only evidence of the love that the movie is receiving as the ratings on IMDb stand at 7.8 with several comments about Zendaya's standout performance. Not only has the movie received a stamp of approval from the critics, but has also proven to be quite the stunner at the box office with its $15 Million opening, dispelling earlier predictions.

Zendaya Dishes Out About ‘Euphoria’s’ Future for a Third Season at the ‘Challengers’ Premiere

Despite the disparity in box office collections, Challengers has proven to be a better glaze to Zendaya's career than Dune 2.

Why Dune 2 was not Zendaya's moment?

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Given the massive hype surrounding the first movie, Dune 2 was anticipated to be the movie that would throw both Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya's career into a whole another league. However, despite the $700 Million and counting box office collection, the movie seemed to have dampened its stars. 

Post the release, there was a barrage of reviews surrounding Zendaya's performance being restrictive and that of Chalamet's being too gimmicky. While the latter is yet to respond, Zendaya seems to have given a fitting clapback through her impressive performance in Challengers.

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Face of HBO’s Steamy ‘Euphoria’, Zendaya Stresses the Importance of Intimacy Coordinator Ahead of ‘Challengers’ Release

What do you think about Challengers? Let us know in the comments below.

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Aliza Siddiqui

1430 articles

Meet Aliza Siddiqui, a Hollywood News reporter at Netflix Junkie. Her love affair with Hollywood began with Anne Hathaway and The Princess Diaries, but it was the thrilling climax of Don’t Look Up that cemented her infatuation with the industry and its filmmaking. Aliza's journey into entertainment reporting began with her time at Otakukart, where she wrote over a thousand articles.

Edited By: Itti Mahajan

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