Sydney Sweeney's Hit R-Rated Thriller Is Officially Back As One Of Streaming's Biggest Hits

Published Oct 11, 2026, 11:31 AM EDT

Hannah Gearan (she/her) is has been writing for ScreenRant for over three years. Her deep cinema love traces back to age 11, when she equipped herself with a spiral-bound notebook, rated all the films she watched, and declared herself a critic. About a decade later, she received a BA from Wesleyan University, where she studied Film, Environmental Studies, and Writing. Hannah’s short film, Toxic Faucets, has screened at numerous film festivals, including the Independent Film Festival of Boston (IFFBoston). As a Movie News writer now, she draws upon her vast experience studying, making, and analyzing film as she approaches dynamic breaking stories. 

Sign in to your ScreenRant account

Sydney Sweeney has had one of the biggest career explosions of the last few years. While she was slowly getting more roles before this point, Sweeney had a particularly stellar year nearly five years ago in 2022, when she was nominated for two Emmys in the same year. This was for her returning role in Euphoria season 2 and her part in the then-limited series The White Lotus. She has since branched out from the television world and has starred in several hit movies, including Anyone But You and Immaculate.

One of Sweeney's most notable movies last year was The Housemaid. An adaptation of the Freida McFadden thriller novel of the same name, the movie stars Sweeney as a young woman trying to make due financially, who takes a job as a live-in maid for an ultra-rich couple. Over the course of the film, things gradually start to seem more off with this family, putting Sweeney in dicey situations. Amanda Seyfried stars opposite Sweeney, and the supporting cast includes Bradon Sklenar, Don DiPetta, Michele Morrone, and Sarah Cooper.

Sweeney's The Housemaid Has Begun Taking Over HBO Max

Nearly a year after its initial theatrical release, The Housemaid is trending on streaming. The movie is currently sitting at the top of HBO Max's streaming chart. In order to achieve this status, it had to beat out several horror movies, including Backrooms, Coraline, Corpse Bride, and Evil Dead Burn. Being October, this is a particularly notable time for The Housemaid to achieve such status. While it has some unsettling elements, it is not the same kind of spooky as its more direct horror counterparts.

This Housemaid victory comes after the film was a huge success in theaters last year. The movie made $400 million worldwide on its estimated $35 million budget. Not only does this represent a significant profit margin, but it is an impressive total for a book adaptation that is outside a major franchise.

Everything We Know About The Housemaid Sequel

The Housemaid may not be a franchise yet, but it is going to be. Earlier this year, The Housemaid was officially confirmed to be getting a film sequel. This second film will be based on McFadden's book The Housemaid's Secret. According to initially revealed plot details, the sequel will expand the story outward, introducing elaborate locations like a New York City penthouse.

The Housemaid's Secret will also reportedly double the first film's budget, with a projected $70-80 million set aside for it. These expanded resources are a testament to how successful the first film was, and how much the studio wants to take advantage of the bigger story. And if this recent streaming trend is any indication, The Housemaid still has a significant following.