If you’re measuring “success” the most old-fashioned way—tickets sold—this batch of tennis films has a clear pecking order. The top earner in the set is *Challengers* (2024), which reached $96.1M worldwide, a figure that puts it well ahead of the pack here.
Its release story, though, is a reminder that momentum on screen can be interrupted by forces off it. According to its documented production and release history, the film had been announced as the opening selection for the Venice International Film Festival, then was pulled and delayed amid the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Even before anyone saw a frame, it had already become a case study in how festival positioning, labor realities, and scheduling can reshape a studio launch.
Next comes *Wimbledon* (2004) at $41.5M worldwide. Part of its appeal is how closely it courts authenticity while still playing as a mainstream romantic comedy. Wimbledon’s own compendium notes that the Club assisted in making the film, and that recognizable tennis figures appear—particularly in a broadcast context—adding a layer of “this could almost be real” texture that’s hard to fake on a soundstage.
Close behind is *King Richard* (2021) with $39.4M worldwide. Its making-of material emphasizes a specific creative pressure point: the real-life sisters at the center of the story were protective of how their mother would be portrayed, and insisted that the character be given fair credit for her role as a mother and coach. That kind of behind-the-scenes advocacy is a quiet but powerful shaping force—less about headline casting, more about who gets narrative weight.
Farther down the list is *Battle of the Sexes* (2017) at $18.4M worldwide, a film that leans into its ensemble of real-life figures. Its cast list includes Sarah Silverman as Gladys Heldman, identified as the founder of *World Tennis* magazine—one of those “wait, she’s in this story too?” roles that signals how a sports moment can depend on organizers and advocates as much as athletes.
Rounding out the five is *Borg vs McEnroe* (2017) at $3.4M worldwide. A ScreenDaily production account spotlights the craft challenge at the heart of any tennis movie: the leads underwent months of physical tennis training because the production wanted the on-court play to look authentic. It’s the least lucrative of these titles by worldwide gross, yet it arguably makes the clearest bid for you to believe the match is really happening in front of you.