Just months after its theatrical run turned heads, Sydney Sweeney's R-rated thriller The Housemaid has found a new life on streaming. The film, which hit HBO Max on October 9, has quickly climbed to the top of the platform's charts, cementing its status as a bona fide cultural phenomenon.
Based on Freida McFadden's bestselling novel, The Housemaid stars Sweeney alongside Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar. The movie was a surprise box office juggernaut, earning over $400 million worldwide against a modest $35 million production budget. It managed to thrive even while competing with heavy hitters like Avatar: Fire and Ash, Zootopia 2, and Wicked: For Good during its theatrical release.
Now, the film is repeating that success on streaming. Within days of its HBO Max debut, The Housemaid has become the most-watched movie on the platform in the U.S., knocking Kane Parsons' Backrooms down to second place. The top ten also includes other notable titles like Evil Dead Burn, Coraline, The Shining, and the summer's box office disappointment Supergirl.
This isn't the only Sweeney project making waves on streaming right now. Her 2023 rom-com Anyone But You, a loose adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, is currently one of the ten most-watched movies on Netflix globally. That film, which paired Sweeney with Glen Powell, became the highest-grossing live-action Shakespeare adaptation ever and the first rom-com since 2016 to cross the $200 million mark worldwide.
The success of The Housemaid has already sparked plans for a sequel. The Housemaid's Secret, based on McFadden's follow-up novel, is scheduled for a December 17, 2027 release. Paul Feig will direct from a script by Rebecca Sonnenshine, with Sweeney and Michele Morrone returning. New cast members include Kirsten Dunst, Brittany Snow, Paul Anthony Kelly, and Stephen Kalyn.
For fans of quietly intense noir thrillers, The Housemaid delivers the kind of gripping suspense that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Its streaming dominance is a testament to Sweeney's star power and the enduring appeal of a well-crafted thriller.
As The Housemaid continues to dominate HBO Max, it's clear that Sweeney's appeal spans genres and platforms. Whether she's making audiences laugh in a rom-com or keeping them guessing in a thriller, she's proven she can draw a crowd. And with a sequel already in the works, it looks like this story is far from over.
Stay tuned for more updates on The Housemaid and other streaming hits. If you're looking for more edge-of-your-seat entertainment, check out our list of Netflix thrillers that never had a bad season.
