Sydney Sweeney's 'Americana' Director Defends Film Amid Box Office Crash: A Hidden Gem?

SYDNEY SWEENEY'S NEW MOVIE IS A BOX OFFICE BOMB, BUT ITS DIRECTOR ISN'T SWEETING ON IT!

Sydney Sweeney's latest movie, Americana, was supposed to be her big break in Hollywood. But it looks like the critics and audiences aren't exactly swooning over this crime comedy. The movie, which cost a whopping $9 million to make, raked in only a paltry $500,000 on its opening weekend. Ouch!

But don't count out director Tony Tost just yet! He's speaking out about the movie's lackluster performance, and he's not sugarcoating it either. "One of the great things about movies is that they outlive the zeitgeist into which they were released," he tweeted on X (formerly Twitter). "As someone whose first film sorta got gobbled up by the zeitgeist, I'll be curious to see how it'll stand up after this moment is over."

Tony's been open about his vision for Americana from day one. "I knew I was creating a 'hidden gem' type movie (as opposed to a blockbuster, or an auteur masterpiece)," he wrote on Letterboxd back in 2022. He even shared that he hoped to make a series of "minor gems" throughout his career – think Sugarland Express and American Graffiti-style movies that don't try to be the next Jaws or Star Wars.

But it looks like Tony's not getting the critical acclaim he was hoping for. Despite what critics are saying, with The New York Times calling it a "slick and skillful debut feature" and Variety praising its polish, Americana is still getting slammed on social media. The movie premiered at SXSW in March 2023, but its production company Bron Studios filed for bankruptcy just four months later.

Sydney Sweeney's co-star Halsey has been defending the movie left and right, even posting about it on her Instagram Stories. "This is cinema," she wrote. "If you love cinema, then you should know that cinema comes first [sic]." She called Tony an "incredible artist" whose work and vision are greater than all the negative media attention.

But Halsey isn't the only one who's standing up for Americana. Sydney Sweeney herself faced a social media meltdown last month over her viral ad for American Eagle, which used the phrase "good genes" in a way that some critics accused of being racist and eugenics-flirting. The campaign was met with an explosion of controversy on social media, but insiders say about 70% of respondents to independent polling had a positive reaction to it.

It's clear that Americana is getting a lot of attention – even if it's not all good. Will the movie stand up to scrutiny in the long run? Only time will tell. In the meantime, Tony Tost is taking his lumps and moving on. "I'm excited for people to find AMERICANA in the days/weeks/months/years to come," he tweeted. "But also trying to internalize the many lessons learned from swing #1."

YOU CAN NOW SEE SYDNEY SWEENEY IN AMERICANA ON OVER 1,000 SCREENS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WILL YOU BE GIVING IT A CHANCE? LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS!