Sydney Sweeney, Scooter Braun Enjoy Relaxing Afternoon in Santa Barbara

Sydney Sweeney's leaving her troubles behind in Los Angeles ... enjoying the sun, surf and sand in Santa Barbara with Scooter Braun days after her new movie "Christy" flopped on opening weekend.

The actress was photographed in the coastal Southern California town wearing a sweater to cut through the seaside chill and a pair of tiny shorts ... grabbing a bite with Braun, who dressed casually in a long-sleeve white shirt, gray shorts and a dark blue cap.

The two giggled their afternoon away ... chowing down before hopping on bikes and riding to their next destination this week.

It's yet another signal that this relationship's pretty serious ... despite sources initially telling us the two were just seeing each other casually. Scooter and Sydney have been spotted at multiple events -- from dinners to birthday parties to an outing at Universal Studios.

It's a much-needed day away for Sweeney, obviously ... who's licking her wounds after her new movie "Christy" -- a biopic about boxer Christy Martin's life -- bombed at the box office last weekend.

"Christy" made just $1.3 million in its opening weekend ... though Sydney came out and defended the flick by saying actors "don’t always just make art for numbers, we make it for impact." Christy Martin herself recently came to Sydney's defense amid some pointed criticism.

The film's getting lukewarm reviews from critics -- just a 66% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences love the movie though, lifting the film to a 97% on the audience aggregate popcorn meter.