The Cinematic Success of “The Housemaid”
The film The Housemaid, based on the popular thriller novel by Freida McFadden and directed by Paul Feig, has made a significant impact at the box office. Starring Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, and Brandon Sklenar, the movie premiered in the third spot at the U.S. box office the weekend before Christmas and has shown a consistent performance with minimal weekly drops in viewership.
Lionsgate has announced that The Housemaid has amassed a global revenue of $192.5 million by the end of its fourth weekend in cinemas. This impressive total includes $94.15 million from the U.S. and $98.35 million from overseas markets, with the film continuing to launch in additional countries.
The film’s earnings have not only surpassed Paul Feig’s earlier thriller, A Simple Favor, which collected $97.6 million globally in 2018, but The Housemaid from 2025 has also become a standout as a rare English-language thriller surpassing the $150 million mark worldwide.
Comparative Achievements in the Thriller Genre
Several films that incorporate thriller elements with other genres, such as action (Bullet Train), science fiction (Blade Runner 2049), disaster (Twisters), and heist (Now You See Me: Now You Don’t), have reached similar financial milestones. However, the last straightforward English-language thriller to achieve this was the provocative trafficking film Sound of Freedom in 2023.
Prior to Sound of Freedom, which grossed $250.7 million globally, no English-language thriller had surpassed $150 million since before the pandemic, with 2019 hits like Joker ($1.079 billion) and Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood ($377.4 million) being notable exceptions.
Furthermore, The Housemaid has set several records in its first 24 days of release. It became the highest-grossing movie at the domestic box office with Sydney Sweeney in a leading role, surpassing her previous 2023 hit Anyone But You. It also stands as Paul Feig’s highest-grossing non-comedy film, exceeding the earnings of A Simple Favor.
The film, with a production budget of $35 million, has far exceeded the typical break-even point of about $87.5 million for an average Hollywood movie. Being a Lionsgate production, which typically covers a significant portion of production costs through international pre-sales, the movie began generating profit well before reaching this impressive global box office milestone.
Ava Thornton is an entertainment journalist with a keen eye for the latest in Hollywood, indie films, and streaming trends.
Her work blends insider knowledge with a deep appreciation for storytelling.
