Sydney Sweeney Scores Big With 'The Housemaid' Box Office Triumph

Sydney Sweeney has made a remarkable turnaround this year, thanks to her starring role in Paul Feig ’s suspenseful thriller, The Housemaid. After a string of underperforming releases, Sweeney found herself sharing the screen with Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar in a film that’s now become her most successful domestic box office hit to date.

Since its debut last month, The Housemaid has surpassed the domestic earnings of Sweeney’s previous top-grossing lead role in Anyone But You, which she starred in alongside Glen Powell in 2023. That romantic comedy brought in over $88 million in U.S. theaters and seemed to set Sweeney on a path to stardom, but her next few projects didn’t follow suit. Now, with The Housemaid closing in on $90 million during its fourth weekend and a worldwide total likely to hit $150 million, a follow-up film is officially in the works, signaling a major course correction for Sweeney’s career.

From Box Office Setbacks to a Major Comeback

Heading into 2025, Sweeney’s schedule was packed with high-profile releases, including Americana, Eden, and Christy, all arriving within a few months before The Housemaid capped off the year. Despite high hopes, her summer films struggled at the box office, though Americana and Eden later found an audience on streaming platforms. The Housemaid, however, has more than made up for those losses, and its theatrical run is expected to get another boost when it hits VOD and streaming services in the coming months.

Sequel Confirmed as Franchise Potential Grows

Although The Housemaid is based on a novel by Frieda McFadden that already has two sequels, there was no guarantee the film would launch a franchise. Director Paul Feig, known for steering clear of sequels, seemed an unlikely candidate to return. Yet, after the film’s strong performance and his clear enjoyment of the project, the door is open for more. Feig shared his excitement about the creative process, saying:

"Getting to mess with an audience this much? How can you turn that down? Usually, my movies have some kind of twist in them. Some are bigger than others, but I like to fool an audience and entertain them at the same time. And I like how extreme this movie gets. I'm a maximalist; I like things to be playing at 11. It was just all there. The source material is so popular anyway, so you know you've got a built-in audience. But more than that, it's having this amazing blueprint that Freida McFadden wrote. And just getting to cast amazing actors in it, and take it on."

Sweeney’s Star Power Reignited

With The Housemaid still drawing crowds in theaters and a sequel on the horizon, Sweeney has finally broken her streak of box office disappointments. The film’s upcoming release on digital and streaming platforms is expected to further cement its status as a major hit, giving Sweeney the comeback she needed and setting the stage for her next chapter.