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5h ago

Americana Opens to About $500,000 as Tost, Halsey Decry Boycott Fallout From Sweeney Jeans Ad

The director with castmates confront boycott fallout after a $500,000 launch tied by media to Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad.

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Sydney Sweeney and Halsey arrive at the Los Angeles special screening of "Americana".
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Overview

  • - Lionsgate’s Premiere Releasing put the SXSW 2023 title into roughly 1,100 theaters, where it grossed about $500,000 in its first weekend.
  • - Writer-director Tony Tost said his debut was “gobbled up by the zeitgeist,” adding that films can outlast the cultural moment in which they open.
  • - Halsey urged audiences to see the movie, calling the denim controversy a “pretty dumb” advertising take and defending the crew’s work in now-deleted posts.
  • - Co-star Paul Walter Hauser praised Americana as his favorite of his films and predicted it will find viewers over time despite the soft start.
  • - The American Eagle campaign’s “genes/jeans” wordplay drew accusations of eugenics undertones, spurred boycott calls, and won public support from President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance.