Zendaya’s Steamy R-Rated Smash ‘Challengers’ Lands New Streaming Home

Fans of Zendaya won’t have to wait long to see her back on screen! While everyone anticipates the third season of Euphoria on HBO later this year, her recent film, Challengers, is coming to a new streaming service next month. The 2024 Luca Guadagnino-directed movie quickly became a major conversation starter, exploring mature themes of sexuality and psychology.

The new sports drama Challengers, released in theaters on April 26, 2024, tells a compelling story about a love triangle between a tennis coach, her former boyfriend, and her husband. The movie cleverly jumps between different time periods, which contributed to its success and helped it become the top film at the box office during its opening weekend. Ultimately, Challengers earned $96 million and boosted Zendaya’s already impressive profile even further.

Currently, you can only watch Challengers, starring Justin Kuritzkes, Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist, Darnell Appling, and Shane Harris, on MGM+. However, next week the film will be available on Peacock, and it will be exclusive to that streaming service. If you’ve already seen it, you know how exciting it is! If not, read the synopsis below to learn more.

Challengers, directed by Luca Guadagnino, features Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a fiercely competitive former tennis star who now coaches. She’s married to a struggling champion (Mike Faist) and comes up with a plan to help him regain his winning form. However, things get complicated when he’s forced to play against Patrick (Josh O’Connor), a former friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend. As old feelings and rivalries resurface, Tashi is forced to consider how much she’s willing to sacrifice to achieve victory.

‘Challengers’ Is More Than Just Its Steamy Love Scenes


Amazon MGM Studios

Some people might quickly dismiss the movie Challengers because of its steamy scenes, but it offers much more to viewers who are open to it. While it’s certainly sensual, the film is fundamentally about the dynamics of power, how people manipulate each other, and the lengths they’ll go to achieve their ambitions, even at the cost of their principles.

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Critics and audiences alike are responding positively to Challengers. The film currently has an 88% ‘Certified Fresh’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a very high score, especially for a movie with mature themes. While critics often avoid praising films like this, Challengers has been widely praised as both intensely exciting and visually stunning. Audiences also seem to enjoy it, giving the film a 76% rating.



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2026-01-26 14:02