Sydney Sweeney’s The Housemaid will be getting a sequel at Lionsgate following an impressive box office performance. Most of the star’s detractors are currently looking at the numbers in disbelief. None of them expected the psychological thriller to make over $100 million, especially during a packed festive season window that featured strong competition like Marty Supreme, Anaconda, Song Sung Blue, and Avatar: Fire & Ash.
Who said theaters would soon enter the niche corner… like jazz cafés? Retract your statement, Mr. DiCaprio! Clearly, people still have a great affection for the big screen. Most importantly, they want to see Sydney Sweeney on the big screen. For a while, there had been suggestions that the actress wasn’t good enough for lead roles because she just wasn’t marketable. They said the best she could do was sell jeans for American Eagle. Look who is smiling now. So, what’s next for Sweeney?
The Sweeney Slander Grew After a 2-Year Flop Streak
The campaign against Sydney Sweeney became intense after the release of Christy in November 2025. The biopic was expected to make a profit, not only because Sweeney was in it, but also because it told the story of the biggest female boxer of the 1990s: Christy Martin. However, it grossed $2 million from a $15 million budget. Its $1.3 million premiere gross also made it one of the top 12 worst openings for a movie that opened on over 2,000 screens.
For any other star, this could have been filed as a rare flop moment, one that could be rectified the next time around. However, concerns grew because Sweeney had neither had a box office nor streaming hit in two years. Madame Web’s gross only matched its budget (unimpressive for a film based on a Marvel character) and was heavily panned by critics. Immaculate made $35 million, Eden made $2.5 million, and Echo Valley flew under the radar on Apple TV.
To many, this was alarming. An actress touted as the next Lauren Bacall was expected to do Tom Cruise numbers. Unfortunately, this wasn’t happening. Some said she was overrated… until The Housemaid happened. The film, about a young woman who becomes the live-in housekeeper for a sinister, wealthy family, is not only making a lot of money but has also wowed critics, scoring 73% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s time to celebrate… but also time to reflect. The latest development says something about what audiences actually want to see from Sweeney.
Sydney Sweeney Needs To Do More Family, Friendship, and Romance Movies
A diagnosis of Sydney Sweeney’s previous box office ailment might appear challenging, considering that she is a proven star with close to 30 million followers on Instagram. Clearly, people love her, so why were they not watching her movies before? Well, Sweeney’s two-year flop streak could be tied to the fact that she has been choosing the wrong scripts all along. She needs to do more family, friendship, and romance-based movies.
Before The Housemaid, Anyone But You (released in 2023) was Sweeney’s last major hit. The film, a modern adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, grossed $220 million at the global box office. Like her latest hit, the rom-com was more relatable, touching on issues that could happen in our own households or right next door.
Perhaps such is the environment in which fans prefer to see Sweeney. We appreciate her for challenging herself with movies like Christy and Madame Web, but rather than try to be Meryl Streep or Elizabeth Olsen, she should just be Sweeney, the ordinary girl who keeps surprising us. Her work in Euphoria and The White Lotus further proves that this is the kind of playground she should visit the most. Will she focus on her strengths and swim in waters where she thrives? Her fans will be praying that she does.
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