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Forget ‘Off Campus,’ The Steamiest Movie of the Decade Is Leaving Streaming
Zendaya's 2024 tennis drama Challengers is due to leave Peacock in the coming weeks, according to Collider, as the streamer's licensing window for the film comes to an end. The film's departure comes amid a hugely busy period for Zendaya, who is set to appear in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day this month, with Dune: Part Three also due later in the year, making it a timely moment to revisit one of her earlier hits before it disappears from the platform.
Challengers, directed by Luca Guadagnino, was released in cinemas in 2024 and grossed nearly $100 million worldwide against a reported $55 million budget, making it a rare adult-oriented box office success. Distributed by Amazon MGM, it received a theatrical run before moving to streaming, unlike some other Amazon MGM titles that went straight to Prime Video, and later became available on Peacock, from which it is now set to be removed in August 2026.
In short
- Zendaya's acclaimed film Challengers is leaving Peacock soon.
- It grossed almost $100 million worldwide on a $55 million budget.
- Comes as Zendaya stars in The Odyssey and new Spider-Man film.
Explained simply
Challengers is a 2024 tennis drama directed by Luca Guadagnino and starring Zendaya. The film follows a professional tennis player whose world becomes entangled with complex personal relationships. Released theatrically, it earned nearly £100 million worldwide, a significant achievement for an adult-oriented drama.
Adult dramas rarely succeed at the cinema in the current market, where audiences and studios favour blockbuster franchises and sequels. Challengers stood out by proving audiences would pay to see this type of film in theatres. After its theatrical run ended, it moved to Peacock, where it joined other films and television programmes available to subscribers.
Streaming platforms operate under licensing agreements that permit them to show films only for a set period. Once these agreements expire, the platforms must remove the content unless new deals are negotiated and completed. This is why films regularly appear and disappear from streaming services.
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