National Champions (film)
| National Champions | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ric Roman Waugh |
| Written by | Adam Mervis |
| Based on | National Champions by Adam Mervis |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Khalid Mohtaseb |
| Edited by | Gabriel Fleming |
| Music by | Jonathan Sanford |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | STXfilms |
Release date |
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Running time | 116 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $8 million |
| Box office | $300,000[1] |
National Champions is a 2021 American sports drama film directed by Ric Roman Waugh. It is based on the play of the same name by Adam Mervis and stars Stephan James, J. K. Simmons, Alexander Ludwig, Lil Rel Howery, Tim Blake Nelson, Andrew Bachelor, Jeffrey Donovan, David Koechner, Kristin Chenoweth, Timothy Olyphant, and Uzo Aduba. The plot centers around a star college football quarterback who begins a players strike hours before the National Championship game.
The film was theatrically released in the United States on December 10, 2021, by STX Entertainment.
Plot
A star collegiate quarterback ignites a players' strike hours before the biggest game of the year in order to fight for fair compensation, equality, and respect for the athletes who put their bodies and health on the line for their schools.
Cast
- Stephan James as LeMarcus James
- J. K. Simmons as Coach James Lazor
- Alexander Ludwig as Emmett Sunday
- Lil Rel Howery as Coach Ronnie Dunn
- Tim Blake Nelson as Rodger Cummings
- Andrew Bachelor as Taylor Sheridan
- Jeffrey Donovan as Mark Titus
- David Koechner as Richard Everly
- Kristin Chenoweth as Bailey Lazor
- Timothy Olyphant as Elliott Schmidt
- Uzo Aduba as Katherine Poe
Additionally, Russell Wilson, Malcolm Jenkins, Jemele Hill, Mike Greenberg, French Montana, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Steve Levy all appear as themselves in the film.
Production
On April 27, 2021, Stephan James and J. K. Simmons were confirmed to star.[2] In May 2021, Uzo Aduba, Alexander Ludwig, Andrew Bachelor, David Koechner, Tim Blake Nelson, Timothy Olyphant, Kristin Chenoweth, Jeffrey Donovan, and Lil Rel Howery were added to the cast.[3][4] Principal photography began on May 17, 2021, in New Orleans, and was scheduled to conclude on June 11.[5] The film was shot on an $8 million budget.[6] Jonathan Sanford composed the film's score.[7]
Release
The film was theatrically released in 1,197 theaters by STX Entertainment on December 10, 2021.[6][8] It was originally scheduled for release on November 24, 2021.[9]
Box office
On December 10, Boxoffice Pro projected the film would earn between $750,000 and $2.5 million in its opening weekend.[10] The film made $120,000 on its opening day and is currently estimated to gross $300,000 in its first three days. Audiences were 68% male and 47% above the age of 45 as well as 49% Caucasian, 15% Latino and Hispanic, 22% Black, and 14% Asian/other.[6]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 60% of 43 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6/10.[11] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 52 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[12] Audiences polled by PostTrak gave it an average score of 63%, with 45% saying they would definitely recommend it.[6]
References
- ^ "National Champions (2021)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (April 27, 2021). "Stephan James & J.K. Simmons To Star In College Football Drama National Champions For STX, Ric Roman Waugh & John Wick Outfit Thunder Road". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 13, 2021). "Uzo Aduba, Alexander Ludwig, David Koechner, Timothy Olyphant & More Part Of STX Sports Drama National Champions". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (May 19, 2021). "National Champions: Kristin Chenoweth, Jeffrey Donovan & Lil Rel Howery Board STX Sports Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ "Film and TV Projects Going Into Production – National Champions". Variety Insight. Archived from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ^ a b c d D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 12, 2021). "West Side Story Isn't Kicking Up With $10M+ Opening: What That Means Right Now During Another Pandemic Holiday – Sunday Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- ^ "Jonathan Sanford Scoring Ric Roman Waugh's National Champions". Film Music Reporter. October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (November 10, 2021). "STXfilms Pushes Back Dates For Drama National Champions And Thriller Violence Of Action; Latter Film Starring Chris Pine & Ben Foster Gets New Title". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 29, 2021). "STX Dates Queenpins, National Champions, Violence Of Action & Untitled Guy Ritchie Movie For 2021 & Beyond". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
- ^ Robbins, Shawn (December 9, 2021). "Weekend Box Office Forecast: West Side Story and National Champions". Boxoffice Pro. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
- ^ "National Champions". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ "National Champions". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved December 10, 2021.