Sydney Sweeney’s latest film is tanking at the box office — and the fallout from her American Eagle ad controversy may be partly to blame.
The denim campaign, which played on the words ‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans/Genes,’ sparked backlash after some critics labeled it ‘Nazi propaganda.’
Her new movie Americana, starring Sweeney, 27, along with Halsey, 30, and Paul Walter Hauser, 38, premiered at South by Southwest in 2023 but only hit theaters nationwide on Friday.
Written and directed by Tony Tost, the crime drama follows a group of outsiders whose lives violently collide after a rare Lakota Ghost Shirt surfaces on the black market in a small South Dakota town.
Despite some festival buzz, reviews have been lukewarm, with the film sitting at 68 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Americana is projected to gross just $850,000 from 1,100 theaters in its opening weekend — ranking 16th place at the box office.
Americana, Sydney Sweeney’s latest film, seems doomed to bomb at the box office
On Saturday, the movie had not broken the top 20 on Box Office Mojo or The Numbers.
Sweeney promoted the movie on social media on Wednesday writing, ‘a few years ago I filmed this little movie with some friends and now you get to meet penny jo ♥️,’ referring to her character, a wanna-be country singer.
Reaction was swift and Sweeney, who registered as a Republican in Florida prior to the 2024 Presidential election, learned just how her politics may affect her career in the future.
‘I lost you at registered republican,’ wrote one angry person.
‘So you voted for trump? The man in the Epstein files??’ penned another, referring to Trump’s long association with the convicted felon who died while in prison awaiting trial on federal charges of sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York.
‘You suck. Don’t care. Lost my respect,’ was another strong opinion.
Many of Sweeney’s fans were quick to push back. ‘I love how she pisses so many people off by just existing,’ wrote one.
Another praised her as ‘The woman who made the woke community cry ❤️’
Sweeney, 27, stars as wanna-be country music star Penny Jo in the crime caper written and directed by Tony Tost
Paul Walter Hauser, 38, and Halsey, 30, star in the thriller about a group of outcasts whose lives violently intersect when a rare Lakota Ghost shirt falls onto the black market in South Dakota
Americana debuted in 2023 at SXSW, and has received a rating on Rotten Tomatoes of 68-percent. It’s estimated to make only about $850k its debut weekend in spite of being in 1,100 theaters
Many potential moviegoers are angry over Sweeney’s American Eagle campaign which made a play on the word jeans, by referring to her genes. Some detractors have compared it to Nazi propaganda
The reaction has created a rift between her fans, many who have abandoned Sweeney after learning she registered as a Republican in Florida ahead of the 2024 Presidential election
‘I lost you at registered republican,’ wrote one angry person on social media. A supporter praised her as ‘The woman who made the woke community cry ❤️’
‘America loves Sydney ❤️,’ claimed one supporter.
Sweeney’s next project, Christy, a biopic about professional boxer Christy Martin, will debut September 5 at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The drama does not have a distributor yet, and how quickly it gets one may depend on how potential buyers feel it might be received by audiences with the Emmy nominee in the lead.
Sweeney’s star power will undergo another test when the psychological thriller, The Housemaid, opens in theaters December 25.
