“Challengers” is preparing for its box office debut.

Thursday previews for the seductive tennis drama directed by Luca Guadagnino brought in $1.9 million at the box office.

Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist star in the Amazon MGM picture, which is predicted to earn between $12 million and $15 million on its first weekend of release.

These three up-and-coming tennis pros are entangled in both their personal and professional lives. Zendaya, who recently starred in the sci-fi film “Dune: Part Two,” portrays tennis prodigy Tashi Duncan, who had to give up the game due to a catastrophic injury. Mike Faist, who starred as Riff in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story,” plays Art Donaldson, a professional tennis player who experiences a losing run and is subsequently mentored by Tashi. And O’Connor plays Patrick Zweig, Art’s childhood buddy and Tashi’s ex-lover. O’Connor earned an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of a young Prince Charles on “The Crown.” High-stakes sporting action and sensual love scenes ensue when the careers and personal lives of the three tennis champions intersect.

The actors’ strike caused “Challengers” to miss its scheduled Venice Film Festival premiere last year. With a $55 million price tag, it will need to continue turning a profit at the box office.

Well-Liked on Variety

Lionsgate’s religious drama “Unsung Hero,” which grossed $1.67 million in advance screenings and $470,000 in previews on Thursday, is also launching this weekend. At the box office, it is expected to bring in $5 million to $7 million. The retaliatory action film “Boy Kills World,” starring Bill Skarsgard, is likewise opening and aiming for a $2 million to $3 million debut on Roadside.