Sydney Sweeney clearly likes a challenge, because her next big swing is walking straight into a blockbuster buzzsaw.
Lionsgate has officially dated The Housemaid’s Secret, the sequel to last year’s sleeper smash The Housemaid, for December 17, 2027. And here’s the kicker: that’s the exact same day Marvel Studios drops Avengers: Secret Wars and Warner Bros. unleashes The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. Three titans, one weekend, zero mercy.
Sydney Sweeney’s breakout thriller franchise just picked the fight of the year: The Housemaid vs The Avengers
It’s a bold move, but Lionsgate has done this dance before. The first Housemaid counter-programmed its way through the crowded Christmas corridor and turned into a genuine phenomenon, banking $125 million domestically and nearly $400 million worldwide off a lean $35 million budget. Not bad for a twisty, R-rated thriller adapted from Freida McFadden’s wildly popular bestseller. Lionsgate is betting that hungry audiences (especially the ones who aren’t lining up for capes and orcs) will once again carve out room for Millie.
Sweeney returns as Millie Calloway, with 365 Days and Subservience heartthrob Michele Morrone back as Enzo. The juiciest addition? Kirsten Dunst, who joins as Wendy Garrick, Millie’s mysterious new employer. According to THR, the story follows Millie as she agrees to keep house for a woman she’s never actually allowed to see, until she uncovers the truth behind a locked door that hides secrets even darker than her own. If that doesn’t scream “December date night gone wrong,” what does?
Director Paul Feig is back behind the camera, reuniting with screenwriter Rebecca Sonnenshine, who adapted the first book. Feig produces alongside Todd Lieberman of Hidden Pictures, Laura Fischer of Pretty Dangerous, and Sweeney herself through her Fifty-Fifty Films banner. Production is reportedly gearing up to begin later this year, with the sequel’s budget said to be jumping to a heftier $70 million.
And Lionsgate isn’t stopping there. A third installment, The Housemaid Is Watching, is already in the studio’s sights, with Sweeney expected to stay attached. Will the sequel blink and shift its date, or hold the line as counter-programming? Lionsgate seems convinced this is a hit either way, and with Sweeney’s star power, $400 million (maybe even $500 million) feels well within reach.
Sydney Sweeney begins filming The Housemaid’s Secret later this year.
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