Challengers, this spring’s most highly-anticipated film, has finally arrived in theaters, and Film Twitter cannot shut up about it. It’s got everything you want in a movie: a steamy love triangle between incredibly good-looking people (West Side Story‘s Mike Faist, La Chimera‘s Josh O’Connor, and Dune‘s Zendaya), thrilling tennis sequences, and an electrifying score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
So there’s a lot to react to, and the internet is reacting. Here are some of the best posts about the film so far.
Three tickets to Challengers, please
Before anyone even saw the film, they reprised the “tickets to Barbie” meme riffing on the love triangle in Challengers. Users posted images of other love triangles and throuples with the caption “three tickets to Challengers please.” Everyone from fictional characters — like Parks and Rec‘s April Ludgate and her gay boyfriends, and Sex and the City‘s Carrie Bradshaw, Aidan, and Mr. Big — to real people like Paul Mescal, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Phoebe Bridgers got dragged into the meme.
Team Patrick, Team Art, or Team Tashi
In true internet fashion, users immediately got online and oversimplified Challengers‘ central love triangle into Team Patrick, Team Art, or Team Tashi. There’s a large contingent supporting each protagonist.
A member of the Patrick hive said, “cannot fathom that anybody watched challengers and walked out defending ART… patrick hive let’s link and build…” One user wrote, “Patrick Zweig they could never make me hate you.” Another said, “#PATRICKZWEIG they could never make me hate you.”
Meanwhile, Art’s advocates feel just as strongly for him. One user declared, “art donaldson welcome to the pookie hall of fame.” Another proclaimed, “SAVE ME ART DONALDSON IN A BACKWARDS CAP…”
‘Pookie’ is more than a pet name. TikTok’s new favorite word is rooted in a rich cultural history.
Tashi, played by the internet’s princess, Zendaya, obviously has her stans as well. One such fan said, “art was so real when he said who wouldn’t be in love with tashi like truly.” Another wrote, “The thing is that Tashi Duncan is the queen of the universe.”
The score
One of the buzziest parts of the film is Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ pulsating score. The praise and jokes immediately rolled in over opening weekend. One user said, “the challengers score in dolby surround sound would kill a victorian child.” Another set a video of Mike Faist dancing to it.
It’s beautiful to see Film Twitter come together in celebration of a film about three sexy people.
