Tom Cruise’s WWII Hit Loses Box Office Rank to Sydney Sweeney’s Erotic Thriller

Holding its own at the box office despite fresh competition, The Housemaidpassed two massive milestones this weekend, its fifth. The hit film has shown incredible legs over the last month, and has followed a similar trajectory to that of star Sydney Sweeney‘s 2023 hit Anyone But You. This weekend, The Housemaid passed the coveted $100 million mark at the domestic box office, and the $200 million mark worldwide, as it overtook a handful of past thrillers. Among the most prominent films that The Housemaid has now outperformed is the World War 2 thriller Valkyrie, which was based on a real plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, and featured the cream of British acting alongside star Tom Cruise. The Housemaid has already emerged as one of the highest-grossing erotic thrillers of all time, and is now trailing only Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct.

With around $110 million domestically and over $205 million at the global box office so far, The Housemaid has passed the $203 million lifetime global haul that Valkyrie ended its run with in 2008. Valkyrieearned mostly positive reviews, but its legacy has been affected over the last few years because of the numerous allegations of sexual misconduct made against director Bryan Singer. The film is now sitting at a 62% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, “Given the subject matter, Valkyrie could have been an outstanding historical thriller, but settles for being a mildly entertaining, but disposable yarn.” Valkyrie also featured Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp and Tom Wilkinson.

‘The Housemaid’ Turned Things Around for the Struggling Sydney Sweeney

The movie cost a reported $90 million to produce, which is much higher than the reported $35 million price tag of The Housemaid. The erotic thriller has emerged as director Paul Feig‘s fifth film to pass the $100 million mark domestically, after Bridesmaids, The Heat, Ghostbusters, and Spy!. It also earned positive reviews, and is now sitting at a “certified fresh” 73% critics’ score and a “verified hot” 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, where the crowd’s consensus reads, “Juicy and satisfying pop fare, The Housemaid offers a tantalizing peek through the proverbial peephole, sure to delight both newcomers and fans of the novel.” The Housemaid also features Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar, and represents a long-awaited win for both Sweeney and distributor Lionsgate. You can watch the film in theaters, or wait for it to hit PVOD platforms on February 3. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.