Tennis love-triangle movie Challengers looks like a contender so far in theaters, but one co-star is getting panned — the iPhone alarm on the sports drama’s soundtrack. Social media shows viewers and listeners saying they find it “triggering,” among other rants.
Maybe that’s not the sort of product placement Apple would prefer, but hey … all press is good press, right?
Viewers and listeners find iPhone alarm on Challengers soundtrack ‘triggering’
Challengers, starring Zendaya as a rising tennis star with two male players as suitors, features a soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. They also created soundtracks for The Social Network, Watchmen and Soul. (And if you didn’t know, Nine Inch Nails rocker Reznor once quit a job at Apple.)
So right in the first song on the Challengers soundtrack, also called “Challengers,” an iPhone alarm interrupts the synth-driven dance tune, ending it. And that’s apparently setting viewers’ and listeners’ teeth on edge. It’s Apple’s “classic” ringtone called Radar, and it comes a minute and 15 seconds into the short 1:25 minute track.
You can see the first post below calls the alarm “one of the most triggering things I’ve ever heard in my entire life.” The second one says it triggered a “fight or flight” reaction.
that iphone alarm in the challengers score is one of the most triggering things i’ve ever heard in my entire life
— Zoë Rose Bryant (@ZoeRoseBryant) April 27, 2024
Why would they include the iphone alarm at the end of the challengers score like triggered my fight or flight so bad
— everlark enjoyer (@ftdtsihaya) May 1, 2024
iPhone alarm on soundtrack might be Challengers‘ only weakness
Despite the social media dust-up over the iPhone alarm on the Challengers soundtrack, reviews for the sexy tennis movie look mostly positive. People seem to find the steamy love-triangle story compelling. And plenty of folks say the tennis, as shown in the film, is thrilling to watch and worth seeing on the big screen.
The main bad review seems to be for that irritating iPhone alarm that a lot of people seem to think should have been left off the soundtrack album even if it’s in the movie.
when the iPhone alarm plays during the Challengers score pic.twitter.com/EaGe7ksLnc
— Anthony Blackwood (@TonyBWood) May 1, 2024
Some of the memes had a little fun with the iPhone alarm on the soundtrack. Some likened it to a horror-movie jump scare:
The iPhone alarm jump scare during the Challengers score pic.twitter.com/boKq6kCduZ
— davey (@daveyjames22) April 30, 2024
And of course, you knew someone would see another angle here and bust on the complainers for apparently not changing the default iPhone alarm sound they seem to find so troubling:
So what I’m learning a lot about how y’all are quote-unquote “triggered” by that iPhone alarm in the #Challengers score is that a lot of y’all still have the default iPhone alarm as your defaults? Hmm: pic.twitter.com/VdxpOnd1IX
— Hunter Grayson (@lethallyfab) April 28, 2024
And some users on X (formerly Twitter) went directly after Reznor and Ross for including the alarm sound on the soundtrack:
hi trent and atticus @nineinchnails putting the iphone alarm sound in the middle of the challengers soundtrack is cruel and unusual
i will be contacting my lawyers
— Joseph Alessio (@alessio_joseph) April 29, 2024
(breaking my silence): Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross should pay reparations for including the iPhone alarm in the official challengers soundtrack
— savio or whatever (@savion_blanc) April 29, 2024
The Challengers soundtrack is hot
iPhone alarm notwithstanding, the Challengers soundtrack is having a moment in the meme world. People are using the driving EDM track on videos of all kinds.
You can currently see the movie in theaters. Distributed by Amazon MGM Studios, it probably will stream on Amazon Prime and perhaps Paramount+ in the coming weeks or months. And maybe at some point it will migrate to other services like many movies do.
You can listen to the Challengers soundtrack — with that triggering iPhone alarm — on Apple Music.
No thoughts, just Challengers soundtrack pic.twitter.com/JeWwLdHIMZ
— Bri (@BriAnimator_) April 29, 2024
