Sydney Sweeney Faces New Career Blow As Latest Movie Flops

The 27-year-old actress’s latest project, “Americana,” opened in theaters this weekend, but early numbers suggest the film is flopping hard.

The indie crime drama, which also stars Halsey and Paul Walter Hauser, premiered at South by Southwest back in 2023 but only hit U.S. theaters nationwide on Friday. Written and directed by Tony Tost, “Americana” centers on a group of outsiders in a small South Dakota town whose lives violently collide after a rare Lakota Ghost Shirt surfaces on the black market.

Sydney Sweeney plays Penny Jo, a wannabe country singer caught in the chaos.

Despite its buzzy festival premiere, the film hasn’t managed to connect with mainstream audiences.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Americana” is projected to earn just $850,000 from 1,100 theaters in its opening weekend, landing it at a disappointing 16th place at the box office. As of Saturday, the movie hadn’t even cracked the top 20 on tracking sites Box Office Mojo or The Numbers.

Critics have also been mixed, with the movie currently holding a 68% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Set against the backdrop of rural South Dakota, “Americana” follows a rogues’ gallery of characters.

Among the ensemble are colorfully drawn figures like “Lefty” Ledbetter, played by Paul Walter Hauser, aspiring singer Mandy Starr, portrayed by Halsey, Dillon MacIntosh (Eric Dane), the enigmatic Ghost Eye (Zahn McClarnon), and Roy Lee Dean (Simon Rex). Each brings their own agenda to the high-stakes hunt, creating a gritty collision of greed, desperation, and survival.

The underwhelming debut comes on the heels of Sweeney’s American Eagle controversy earlier this year.

The actress starred in a denim campaign that featured the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans/Genes,” a play on words that some critics slammed as “Nazi propaganda.” While the brand defended the campaign as cheeky wordplay, the backlash placed Sweeney at the center of an uncomfortable cultural debate that continues to follow her.

Reaction to the ad was swift, and it quickly became clear that Sweeney’s politics could shape how she’s received in Hollywood. Having registered as a Republican in Florida prior to the 2024 Presidential election, the actress suddenly found herself at the center of a heated cultural debate.

“Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the HOTTEST ad out there,” he wrote, before encouraging her to “go get ’em.” Trump later re-posted the message after initially misspelling her first name as “Sidney,” doubling down by adding, “Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be.”

Still, the actress has been doing her part to hype the project.

Just days before “Americana” hit theaters, Sweeney tried to drum up excitement on Instagram, sharing a heartfelt post with her followers.

“A few years ago, I filmed this little movie with some friends, and now you get to meet Penny Jo,” she wrote, referring to her character in the film.

But instead of rallying support, the comments section quickly filled with backlash.

Many users bypassed the movie entirely to bring up the lingering controversy over her American Eagle campaign and her political ties. “Perfect, won’t be watching it,” one person wrote.

Another added, “So you voted for Trump? The man in the Epstein files?”