Since its release last December, The Housemaid has become quite successful. Although Avatar: Fire and Ash topped the box office during its opening weekend in 2026, The Housemaid came in third, earning over $14 million. Around the same time, the film, starring Sydney Sweeney, also surpassed $100 million in worldwide earnings. Despite a somewhat slow start, producer Todd Lieberman believed the movie would ultimately resonate with audiences.
Considering how well it’s done over time, the movie Housemaid can now be called a surprise success. It didn’t have a huge launch or a massive marketing campaign like some other films, but it slowly gained popularity for a number of reasons. Todd Lieberman recently discussed the Paul Feig-directed thriller with Business Insider and commented on the interesting situation of having a sleeper hit.
Having a sleeper hit is fun because you know it’s not a sleeper, but everyone else thinks it is.
It’s really remarkable that The Housemaid did so well in theaters, especially considering it was up against major releases like the third Avatar film, the second Zootopia movie, and a new SpongeBob SquarePants film. Those other three movies all benefit from being part of well-known franchises, and importantly, they’re all rated PG, allowing them to reach a much broader audience. That makes the box office success of this movie, based on Freida McFadden’s 2022 book, even more noteworthy.
Todd Lieberman has a track record of successfully producing low-budget films that outperform expectations. For example, his movie Wonder came in second place at the box office behind Justice League, and The Fighter earned $125 million despite only costing $25 million to make. It’s worth remembering that the novel Wonder was a New York Times bestseller, and The Fighter gained popularity thanks to the buzz surrounding Christian Bale’s incredible performance.
Originally, The Housemaid was scheduled for a Christmas Day release – a popular time for films. However, the release date was changed to December 19th, the same day as Avatar: Fire and Ash. While this might have seemed like a bad move for a smaller film like The Housemaid, producer Todd Lieberman believed it actually created positive momentum leading into the holidays.
Those first few days felt like a really organic way to spread the word about the movie – almost like we were doing secret previews! Once Christmas was over and families started going to the cinema, that’s when we really started seeing ticket sales take off. It was amazing!
It was a smart move to release the film a few weeks before other major releases, as it gave it time to build an audience and gain traction. With family films like Avatar: Fire and Ash, David, Zootopia 2, and The Spongebob Movie: Search for Squarepants dominating the market, The Housemaid offered something different – a film clearly aimed at adults.
Before Housemaid even came out, fans who had read the book were already excited. Director Feig predicted the movie would be shocking, and author McFadden surprisingly said she liked the film even more than her novel. Stars Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried also shared how much fun they had watching it early. Critics generally responded positively to the over-the-top thriller, and strong word-of-mouth helped it succeed at the box office. Producer Lieberman was thrilled not only with the movie’s success but also with what it could mean for the film industry.
It’s really encouraging to see this. It shows that audiences will definitely come to the movies if they think it’ll be a good time.
The movie Housemaid has been a huge financial success, earning over $250 million globally on a $35 million budget. Because of this, Lionsgate is reportedly starting to plan a follow-up film.
Even the most experienced movie analysts might have seen The Housemaid‘s success coming, but Todd Lieberman clearly believed in it from the start. Given his history and expertise, it would have been unwise to doubt him. Now, I’m eager to see the film’s total box office earnings when it finishes its run in theaters. And if you haven’t already, go see it while it’s still playing!
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2026-01-25 01:11