Sydney Sweeney’s Thriller Surpasses Avatar: Fire and Ash in Critics’ Eyes

As the final days of 2025 approach, the film industry has delivered a surprise that few anticipated. James Cameron ’s long-awaited sci-fi epic, Avatar: Fire and Ash, with its staggering budget reportedly exceeding $400 million, has been narrowly surpassed in critical acclaim by a psychological thriller headlined by Sydney Sweeney. Both movies hit theaters in December, but their reception from critics paints a strikingly different picture of what resonated most this year.

Critical Showdown: Blockbuster vs. Psychological Thriller

While Avatar: Fire and Ash was expected to dominate, it was The Housemaid, a tense and tightly crafted thriller, that quietly took the lead among reviewers. The Housemaid, directed by Paul Feig and starring Sweeney, earned an 80 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, outpacing Cameron’s latest, which landed at 70 percent. The contrast between the two films—one a massive, effects-driven spectacle, the other a character-driven drama —highlights a shift in what critics valued as the year came to a close.

Both films debuted on December 19, 2025, but their approaches couldn’t be more different. Avatar: Fire and Ash, produced by 20th Century Studios, leaned into grand visuals and cutting-edge technology, while The Housemaid, from Lionsgate, focused on performance and emotional intensity. The result? A year-end upset that few saw coming.

James Cameron Responds to Mixed Reactions

James Cameron, never one to shy away from defending his creative vision, addressed the criticism surrounding his latest film’s use of high frame rate technology—a choice that has divided audiences since Avatar: The Way of Water. In a recent interview, Cameron dismissed the backlash, stating:

I think $2.3 billion (box office ) says you might be wrong on that. Well, that’s the argument from authority, but the argument from artistic people is ‘I happen to like it, and it’s my movie ’.

Cameron also expressed concern about the broader state of the movie business, noting that the rise of streaming has changed how people experience stories. He remarked:

There’s no way to talk about what audiences want without talking about the decline of cinema. The cinematic experience is being supplanted in our cultural discussion by streaming.

Reflecting on the impact of the pandemic, he added:

Covid gave cinema a big kick and people moved to a different way of taking in their storytelling. And so, when people go to a cinema they want something so far outside the norm that it’s worth hiring a babysitter for.

The Housemaid’s Director and Cast on Changing the Ending

While Cameron defended his technical choices, The Housemaid sparked conversation for a different reason. Director Paul Feig confirmed that the film’s ending would diverge from Freida McFadden’s bestselling novel. At the Los Angeles premiere, Feig explained his approach, saying he enjoys keeping audiences on their toes and praised the studio for maintaining secrecy. He noted:

It’s weird though because the book is out; all you have to do is go to the bookstore and you know the twist but we added a new ending, so the people who love the book you get more.

Feig elaborated on why the change was necessary:

There’s things that work in the book that are really satisfying, but on the big screen you always want more. No spoilers, but there are relationships I wanted to have a final button on and so we were able to do that.

Sydney Sweeney, who leads the cast, shared her perspective on adapting the story:

I’m a huge book lover and I read books religiously, so whenever I see a book adaptations on film, you compare. So there were different things that of course we wanted to take from the book and then there were different aspects that Paul wanted to change… But everything else I wanted to really stay true to the book.

Brandon Sklenar, another key cast member, added:

I wanted to obviously do it justice, but I also wanted to turn certain elements up to 11 and kind of surprise people and give them something they may not expect, even if they had read the book.

What’s Next for Hollywood ’s Biggest Releases?

With both Avatar: Fire and Ash and The Housemaid currently playing exclusively in theaters, the debate continues over whether critics are right to favor intimate storytelling over blockbuster spectacle. As the industry looks ahead to 2026, the question remains: will audiences and critics continue to reward films that prioritize emotional depth over visual scale?