‘Christy’ update: Sydney Sweeney defends the film, Ruby Rose lashes out, and Christy Martin’s story stays center ring

The boxing biopic “Christy”—starring Sydney Sweeney as trailblazing fighter Christy Martin—is back in headlines today after a rough opening weekend, fresh comments from Sweeney about her physical transformation for the role, and a sharp social-media attack from Ruby Rose. Here’s where the film—and the conversation—stand right now.

Sydney Sweeney interview: the “Christy” transformation and what she’s proud of

In new remarks making the rounds, Sweeney details how she prepared to embody Christy Martin’s power and pace: a fight-camp approach focused on functional strength and endurance, paired with significant weight gain—she’s said roughly 30 pounds—to carry realistic ring weight. After filming, she reversed course to return to her usual screen physique.

Sweeney is also addressing the film’s underwhelming commercial start head-on. Her message: impact over stats. She’s emphasized that the project’s value lies in telling Martin’s story with honesty, even if the opening numbers are modest. That stance aligns with how prestige sports dramas often build an audience beyond theaters through word of mouth and later release windows.

Box office reality: a soft start for “Christy”

Early domestic tallies place opening-weekend grosses around the low $1.3–$1.4 million range, with a wide release footprint of roughly 2,000+ theaters and low per-theater averages. It’s a tough debut by any standard, and especially challenging for a serious, 135-minute boxing drama competing against franchise fare and genre crowd-pleasers.

Why the slow start?

• Crowded calendar: Event titles absorbed premium screens and attention.

• Tone and length: The film leans heavier than a typical feel-good sports arc, centering trauma, courtroom aftermath, and recovery alongside fight sequences.

• Positioning: Marketing stressed performance and authenticity over a broad four-quadrant hook.

Even so, specialty theaters, boxing communities, and survivor-advocacy audiences could provide steadier holds in coming weeks, and a timely digital window would expand reach.

Ruby Rose vs. Sydney Sweeney: a flare-up online

Ruby Rose ignited fresh controversy by deriding Sweeney on social media—calling her a “cretin,” claiming past attachment to an earlier version of the project, and blaming Sweeney for the film’s commercial stumble. The posts have circulated widely, but they add more heat than light. Casting on biopics often evolves across years as scripts, financing, and schedules change. Sweeney has not engaged in a back-and-forth; her public focus remains on preparation, performance, and Martin’s legacy.

Christy Martin’s legacy: why the story matters

Whatever the box office and the noise online, Christy Martin remains the anchor. In the 1990s she helped drag women’s boxing into the mainstream—fighting on mega-cards, drawing casual sports fans, and proving women’s bouts weren’t a novelty. Outside the ropes, she survived an attempted murder by her then-husband and trainer, later becoming a public advocate for survivors.

For viewers new to her story, the film’s core beats reflect why Martin still resonates:

• Visibility: She made space on major boxing stages for women who followed.

• Heart and style: High-volume pressure fighting that won over non-purists.

• Survival and testimony: A life that turned private horror into public advocacy.

What to watch next for “Christy”

• Week-two holds: Look for weekday stability and whether targeted events—Q&As, gym partnerships, community screenings—lift weekend grosses.

• Awards strategy: Expect emphasis on Sweeney’s immersion, the film’s ring craft, and the real-life stakes of Martin’s survival.

• Digital pivot: A relatively swift PVOD/streaming window could broaden the audience that biographical sports dramas often need to find their footing.

• Conversation shift: As discourse moves past opening-weekend scorekeeping, attention may return to Martin herself and the film’s depiction of control, courage, and recovery.

“Christy” opened soft, but the Sydney Sweeney–Christy Martin pairing still carries cultural weight: a star undergoing a demanding physical transformation to tell the story of a fighter who refused to quit—inside the ring and out. Today’s chatter—interviews, grosses, and a celebrity jab from Ruby Rose—only underscores why the film exists in the first place: to revisit how one woman’s will changed a sport and helped others find a way out.