Lionsgate is turning ”The Housemaid” into a much pricier franchise bet. After the first film pulled in more than $401 million worldwide on a $35 million budget, the studio is pushing ahead with ”The Housemaid’s Secret” at a reported $70 million to $80 million, a scale usually reserved for louder tentpoles than domestic suspense about wealthy people behaving badly.
That kind of jump is not subtle, but the box office explains the enthusiasm. Streaming may have trained studios to think smaller, yet theatrical hits with clean genre hooks still move tickets, and Lionsgate is betting that Sydney Sweeney’s growing draw can carry a bigger canvas, not just a repeat of the first movie’s house-bound claustrophobia.
The Housemaid’s Secret budget and release plans
The sequel is already being prepared for production, with filming expected to start before the end of the year. International rights are being sold at the Cannes film market, which is a pretty clear sign Lionsgate wants momentum now, not after the hype cools off.
According to the studio, the new film will broaden the world of the first story instead of simply replaying it. The setting moves beyond a single home and into a New York penthouse, a country estate, and other city locations, which should at least make the secrets feel more expensive.
- Reported budget: $70 million to $80 million
- First film budget: $35 million
- Worldwide box office for the first film: more than $401 million
- Expected start of filming: before the end of the year
Sydney Sweeney gets a bigger franchise play
Sweeney is returning, as is Michele Morrone, whose role is said to be much larger this time. Kirsten Dunst has also joined the cast, while Lionsgate is still looking for two more male leads, which suggests the studio is building out the ensemble rather than keeping the story locked to a single point of view.
That makes sense for a series with more books to mine. Frieda McFadden has already published several Millie novels, so Lionsgate is not just buying one sequel opportunity; it is trying to lock in a repeatable thriller brand while the first film’s success is still fresh enough to sell.
Why Lionsgate is spending like this
For psychological thrillers, $70 million to $80 million is rare enough to raise eyebrows. Studios usually reserve that kind of money for spectacle, not locked-room dread, but the first film’s performance gives Lionsgate a decent excuse to break the rule and see whether prestige-adjacent genre can punch above its weight twice.
The open question is whether the sequel can keep the first movie’s tight, mean energy while scaling up the plot and locations. Bigger budgets buy room to move, but they also create more ways for a thriller to get sloppy; Lionsgate is clearly hoping the extra cash makes the deception feel bigger, not just noisier.