Sydney Sweeney's New Film Tanks at £370 Per Theatre — Is the American Eagle Controversy to Blame?

A once-promising star's crime thriller crashes into obscurity, with her reputation left in the fallout.

Sydney Sweeney's much-anticipated film, Americana, stuttered into theatres on 15 August 2025, earning just £370 per screen (approximately $460), a disastrous debut that saw it place a lowly 16th in the US box office.

The flop comes hot on the heels of a fierce backlash over her American Eagle "great jeans/genes" campaign, which critics accused of invoking eugenic overtones. Lionsgate remains upbeat, citing a broader multi-platform release strategy to recoup costs and reach niche audiences.

Box Office Implosion

Americana mustered only £640,000 ($840,000) across 1,100 theatres in its opening weekend, an appalling average of £370 ($460) per venue, securing a 16th-place debut. Such figures are catastrophic even for independent fare, hinting at weak awareness, marketing and audience engagement.

Artistic and Critical Misfires

Critics lambasted Americana for its uneven tone and contrived quirkiness. Reports labelled the film 'sluggish' and 'uninspired', with Sweeney's performance failing to anchor the convoluted plot.

Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle acknowledged Sweeney's nuance, but lamented the film's 'amateurish' execution and tonal inconsistencies. The New York Post dismissed it as a misguided, stylised Western that lacked emotional depth and narrative control.

American Eagle Fallout

Earlier in July, American Eagle's ad campaign featuring Sweeney and the pun 'great genes/jeans' provoked uproar. Some accused it of nodding to Nazi propaganda and eugenic messaging, a claim amplified by right-wing commentators, including Donald Trump, who praised the ad.

Although American Eagle defended the campaign as innocuous and inclusive, data indicated a decline in store foot traffic in the weeks following the campaign, suggesting tangible reputational damage.

Public Sentiment and Online Buzz

Social media chatter mirrored the controversy's polarising effect. One Instagram commenter bluntly wrote: 'Perfect, won't be watching it', capturing the hostile audience reception. Meanwhile, social media pundits offered a more cynical take:

'It probably would've flopped before the ad, too'.

'It's a movie that's been done for 3 years. Without her recent fame, it wouldn't be released at all'.

Net Effect: Controversy or Cinema?

So, is the American Eagle controversy to blame for Americana's failure?

Evidence suggests that it served as a catalyst for negative buzz, but was not the root cause. The film's production history, premiering at SXSW in March 2023, then encountering delayed distribution, likely sapped any latent hype by its 15 August 2025 theatrical release.

Moreover, critical appraisal pointed more to narrative shortcomings than political distractions as the film's downfall.

A Studio Hedging Its Bets

Lionsgate, via its Lionsgate Premiere label, stresses that Americana is part of a multi-platform release strategy, including premium VOD, and remains modestly profitable despite its weak theatrical showing.

Yet, the British-style humility of indie film economics may not excuse the public embarrassment of such a poorly attended run.

Another Ad Gone Wrong?

Sydney Sweeney's Americana debut is a cautionary tale in modern indie cinema, or the perils of too-little, too-late. The film's £370 ($460) per-theatre take is catastrophic, but the wilting stem of controversy only exacerbated a project already hindered by delayed release and bland execution.

This may signal a turning point for Sweeney: can she steer her rising star away from clickbait and towards stronger storytelling? Only her next project will tell.