Sydney Sweeney Just Broke Her Own Box Office Record Thanks To The Housemaid

Sydney Sweeney got her mojo back at the box office in a big, bad way. "The Housemaid," which stars Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried ("Mamma Mia!"), was released in December of last year, and has been doing big business ever since. It's now passed the $300 million mark worldwide, becoming one of the most unexpected breakout hits of 2025. It also set a new high bar for Sweeney as a leading actress.

As of this writing, Lionsgate's "The Housemaid" has made $305.3 million worldwide, including $116.2 million at the domestic box office. All of that against a very reasonable $35 million production budget. With that, it overtakes 2023's "Anyone But You" ($220.2 million) as Sweeney's highest-grossing starring vehicle. "Anyone But You" was, at the time, the first rom-com to break the $200 million mark in six years.

Sweeney did have a small role in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," which made $392.1 million worldwide. But as a leading star or a core part of an ensemble, "The Housemaid," a thriller based on Frieda McFadden's best-selling book, is now the high water mark to beat.

Directed by Paul Feig, of "Bridesmaids" fame, the movie centers on Millie (Sweeney) who is trying to escape her past and accepts a job as a live-in housemaid for a wealthy couple, Nina (Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar). Even though it seems like a dream job at first, it quickly unravels into a dangerous, sexy, seductive game of secrets and scandal.

For Sydney Sweeney, this hit couldn't have come at a better time. 2025 was a big year for her as an actress, but it was also a bumpy ride. She had not one but five movies released last year. Unfortunately, the majority of them were major disappointments, which had some calling her star power into question.

"Echo Valley" went directly to Apple TV+, but everything else Sweeney starred in last year at least had a chance to succeed in theaters. It all started with "Americana," which was completely ignored at the box office in August. Also released by Lionsgate, it made just $500,000 on opening weekend and essentially disappeared after that.

Then came director Ron Howard's "Eden" which, despite an A-list cast that also included Jude Law ("The Holiday"), Vanessa Kirby ("Napoleon"), and Ana de Armas ("Ballerina"), made just $2.8 million against a reported $35 million budget. Another huge misfire. After that there was the high-profile boxing biopic "Christy," which absolutely bombed at the box office in November. Despite awards season aspirations, it made a lousy $2 million in total. Not just on opening weekend — in its entirety.

All of this to say, "The Housemaid" proves that Sweeney absolutely has a star quality to her, it's just about choosing the right projects. It should come as no surprise that "The Housemaid 2" is already in the works at Lionsgate, with both Sweeney and director Paul Feig expected to return. That should help her build some momentum with what is, in all likelihood, a slam dunk sequel, especially if they can get it in theaters quickly.

"The Housemaid" is in theaters now.