Outline:
A New Record for Sydney Sweeney
Sydney Sweeney has made history with the release of The Housemaid, a new thriller directed by Paul Feig. The film follows Millie, a desperate parolee played by Sweeney, who lands a last-chance housemaid job with a wealthy couple, portrayed by Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar. However, as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that the couple is hiding dark secrets.
The movie has received critical acclaim, earning a Certified Fresh score of 73% on Rotten Tomatoes. This positive reception has translated into impressive box office performance, making The Housemaid a standout in Sweeney’s career.
Box Office Success
According to Deadline, as of Friday night, The Housemaid has surpassed the $88.3 million domestic box office total of Sydney Sweeney’s 2023 romantic comedy Anyone But You. During its fourth weekend in theaters, the film is expected to eventually reach a cumulative domestic total of $94.6 million.
This achievement is particularly notable because Anyone But You was a major hit, grossing $220.3 million against a $25 million budget. By outperforming it in North America, The Housemaid has become the highest-grossing Sydney Sweeney-led movie at the domestic box office.
Comparisons and Potential
The only other film featuring Sydney Sweeney that has outgrossed The Housemaid at the domestic box office is Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, which earned $142.5 million domestically and $377.4 million worldwide in 2019. Sweeney was 27th billed in the film for her role as the Manson Family member "Snake."
While it remains to be seen if The Housemaid will surpass Anyone But You globally, the film is set to pass the $150 million milestone worldwide this weekend. However, the international performance of Sweeney’s movies has been different so far. While Anyone But You earned 59.9% of its grosses internationally, The Housemaid has only received 36.9% of its current worldwide total from those markets.
Despite this, The Housemaid has had a slow international rollout and has yet to open in several major markets. Therefore, it still has a strong chance to outgross Anyone But You worldwide by the end of its run, especially given its success in North America.
Similarities and Performance
It is somewhat unclear how high The Housemaid can climb, as it is performing very similarly to Anyone But You. Both films were released during the Christmas season with inauspicious debuts—The Housemaid debuted at No. 3 with $19 million, while Anyone But You debuted at No. 4 with just $6 million. Both took advantage of the slow and steady audience holds typical for the holiday season.
While The Housemaid hasn’t experienced the massive growth that Anyone But You did (the 2023 movie’s week-on-week grosses rose 45.9% and 11.4% during its second and third weekends), it has had impressively slim drops (19.5% and 1.4% so far). These drops are still benefiting the film, thanks to its stronger opening than the 2023 hit.
Final Thoughts
With its strong performance in North America and potential for growth internationally, The Housemaid is shaping up to be one of the most successful films in Sydney Sweeney’s career. As the film continues its run, fans and analysts alike will be watching closely to see how far it can go.