Most of us were first introduced to Sydney Sweeney through her role as Cassie Howard on the provocative series Euphoria—the American adaptation of an Israeli original created by Ron Leshem. Cassie is a beautiful, naive and fragile high school student with the body of a grown woman, which she often shares with a rotating cast of partners. Her explicit, fully nude sex scenes helped shape her character’s wild and sensual image on the show, a persona that carried over into real life through revealing photos that seemed to reflect the young star’s openness—at least in the eyes of onlookers, or those watching on their smartphones.
Since then, Sweeney’s presence has become unstoppable. She’s everywhere. Her sculpted figure—and the plunging necklines that highlight it—have drawn attention to her smooth skin and earned her an unusual level of public fascination. She’s become a true phenomenon in both mainstream and alternative media. Her name keeps appearing in headlines, along with a steady stream of paparazzi shots in gossip columns, followed by countless photos and videos on Instagram and TikTok that the masses consume daily.
Yet while millions follow her on social media, very few are showing up at movie theaters to see her films. No fewer than five were released in 2025, a busy year for the young and attractive American star. Every one of them, without exception, was a major box office flop. The tragedy is that 28-year-old Sweeney is a highly talented actress and even more ambitious. In fact, her determination to prove it, often as a way to push back against her image on the small screen and the even smaller one, has at times worked against her on the big screen.
Here’s Sweeney’s 2025 lineup:
Echo Valley – A thriller directed by Michael Pearce and written by Brad Ingelsby (Mare of Easttown), in which Sweeney plays a drug-addicted teenager—seemingly naive and helpless—who manipulates her father and especially her loving, concerned mother to extort money. Though the role fits the Cassie-type mold (a more clothed version), and despite the publicity Sweeney brought to the project, even alongside stars like Julianne Moore, Kyle MacLachlan, Domhnall Gleeson and Fiona Shaw, the Apple TV+ production arrived in theaters to little fanfare and was pulled after just a week, heading to streaming with box office returns too small to report.
Americana – Sweeney filmed this action-comedy drama four years ago, directed by Tony Tost and featuring an impressive ensemble that includes Paul Walter Hauser, Simon Rex, Eric Dane and musician Halsey. She plays a delicate young waitress—again, seemingly naive and helpless—who loves country music and harbors big dreams, threatened by her stutter. This sharp, well-crafted film premiered to promise as one of 2023’s standout titles, but behind-the-scenes production issues delayed its theatrical release until the summer. Lionsgate distributed Americana on about 1,000 screens across the U.S., but audience turnout was so minimal that box office figures were withheld for internal use only.
Eden – This period thriller from Oscar-winning director Ron Howard brought together Jude Law, Vanessa Kirby, Daniel Brühl, Ana de Armas—and Sweeney. The film is based on the true story of the first European settlers on Floreana Island in the Galápagos during the 1930s, whose community unraveled amid intrigue, deception and a mysterious murder. Sweeney portrayed Margaret Wittmer, who journeyed from Germany with her husband and ultimately survived both the island’s harsh conditions and its treacherous inhabitants. Despite its star-studded cast, Howard’s directing skill and the gripping real-life story, the ambitious film disappointed critics at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Its summer release was met with even more indifference from audiences, earning just $1.5 million at the U.S. box office—far short of its production budget, most of which went toward its high-profile cast, Sweeney included.
Christy – Sweeney’s role as trailblazing boxer Christy Martin was meant to be both a professional and commercial breakthrough. To meet the challenge, she gained 15 kilograms of muscle, transforming her body into something less traditionally feminine and sculpted—much to the disappointment of some fans. Paparazzi photos from the set gave men a glimpse and a reason to mock her online. But the ambitious actress remained focused on the role, delivering a powerful, faithful portrayal of the tough woman who lived as a closeted lesbian in her youth and nearly ended up in a coffin—not from a knockout in the ring, but from a brutal attack by her abusive trainer and husband. Sweeney allowed herself to be seen in a tough-yet-vulnerable light, without plunging necklines, carrying the weight of the harrowing sports biopic on her muscular shoulders as she shed her social media sex-symbol persona. Despite the effort, the film earned less than $2 million at the box office—not enough to cover the lead actress’s salary.
The Maid – Sweeney’s final bid for box office success in 2025 comes with plenty of plunging necklines and even a few explicit sex scenes. In this erotic thriller directed by Paul Feig, she plays a recently released convict who lands a housekeeping job at the lavish estate of a bourgeois couple. The job quickly turns into a nightmare, thanks to the abusive lady of the house (Amanda Seyfried), and intensifies with a steamy affair involving the husband (Brendan Scannell). The problem is that the film is subpar—and not because of its star. A weak script and surprisingly amateurish production, including several scenes where a boom mic is visibly in frame, do little to promise success for distributor Lionsgate. Still, who knows, perhaps Sweeney’s full-frontal return to the screen will give audiences extra motivation.
Cinema at Dusk
Despite her prolific output this year as a hardworking and ambitious actress, Sydney Sweeney’s string of box office failures presents a serious challenge for the future of her film career. For all her dramatic skill and physical allure, she’s hired to deliver revenue for the projects she leads. When producers announce her casting—or that of any film star—they’re banking not only on a strong performance, but on her name drawing the financial backers needed to get the project off the ground. That’s how things work behind the scenes in the fundraising stage. Big names attract deep-pocketed investors. In the industry, this is known as a “package,” and when Sydney Sweeney is part of it, investors show up. For now.
That could change, though, given the unavoidable reality that while she may be one of the hottest names in Hollywood, that heat hasn’t translated at the box office. If she can’t deliver a return on investment, there’s little incentive to cast her—especially at the rates she currently commands, talented as she may be. First and foremost, she’s expected to sell.
So why is this happening? Where does the gap come from between her high-profile media presence as a widely discussed cultural figure and her track record as a movie star? Some point to the American Eagle controversy as the source of her devaluation. As a reminder, Sweeney was hired by the apparel brand American Eagle as a spokesperson in a series of television commercials, appearing partially clothed in the company’s designs under the slogan “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Genes”—a wordplay on genes and jeans, suggesting that she has both. Purists—of whom there are plenty in Hollywood—pounced, accusing her of abetting white supremacy. They were joined by critics who faulted her willingness to embrace sex-symbol status and present herself for the male gaze. That posture clashes with the liberal values of much of the American film community, especially in the post-#MeToo era. The fact that Sweeney grew up in a conservative household in Spokane, Washington, and was previously registered as a Republican only added fuel to a fire that threatened to consume her standing in the industry.
OK, so Hollywood doesn’t much care for Sweeney. Some in the industry recoil for political reasons—especially after former President Donald Trump praised her in a post, writing: “Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the hottest commercial. Show them how it’s done, Sydney.” Others openly dislike her. That hostility undermines any Oscar campaign and could cost her a well-earned nomination for best actress despite her standout performance in Christy.
But Sweeney’s problem isn’t her colleagues; it’s the broader public. And, frankly, most Americans reacted to the media uproar with a dismissive shrug, enjoying the star’s flirtatious turn with a denim jacket. If there was criticism, it was that she remained clothed. The manufactured scandal, if anything boosting her public visibility, is not a convincing explanation for the disappointing performance of the films she has headlined.
Sweeney’s personal crisis stems first and foremost from a broader, structural crisis gripping Hollywood itself. Americans, and not only Americans, are increasingly indifferent to anything tied to moviegoing and simply aren’t going to theaters. They prefer staying home to watch gripping dramas on Netflix or pornography online. Everything is available in the living room, the bedroom or on a smartphone screen in the bathroom. There’s no need to leave the house or buy a ticket, not even to see Sydney Sweeney.
The same is true for George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, all firmly on the “right” side of Los Angeles’ political map. Box office results this year for veteran, highly respected stars have been far from impressive. Nor have they been for Josh O’Connor, who, like Sweeney, became one of the industry’s most in-demand actors, starring in four leading roles—Mastermind, The History of Sound, Rebuilding and Knives Out: Wake Up, Dead Man. All were widely praised this year, and all posted disappointing box office returns that failed to match the hype surrounding the hot British star.
We are living through the twilight of the film industry as we have known it. Viewing habits have changed completely, and theatrical distribution has adjusted accordingly, becoming far shorter. Many independent films now arrive in theaters with great fanfare only to disappear quietly after two weeks. Uncomfortable as it may be to admit, most are released theatrically in the first place as marketing tools for their eventual streaming debut. The big-screen run has become a promo for home viewing.
That reality naturally affects talent as well. Actors continue to receive media attention through newspaper and television interviews and social media campaigns, but they no longer reliably move audiences. More broadly, the allure of movie stars is fading. The trail of fans and press interest is growing shorter, and so is their marketing power. The glittering Hollywood of the past is now a fond nostalgia from the recent past.
Sex symbol? A bless and a curse
You could say Hollywood’s end is near, but it isn’t here yet. Blockbusters still break through from time to time, like electric shocks jolting a faltering heart. Sweeney has had her share. The horror film Immaculate, which she led as a young nun haunted by a malevolent possession, was made on a modest budget of about $9 million and grossed $15.5 million in the United States alone. A year earlier, the cheeky romantic comedy Anyone But You, in which she starred opposite Glen Powell, took in more than $220 million worldwide.
Reports of steamy sex scenes the two shared on screen helped fuel ticket sales, as did rumors of an equally heated offscreen flirtation—likely engineered as part of a marketing strategy tailored to Sweeney’s ample dimensions as America’s reigning sex symbol (with Trump’s seal of approval).
Sweeney’s construction as a sex symbol is a blessing when it comes to amplifying her media presence and keeping her at the center of the American cultural conversation. But it is also a curse, one that has stalled her development as a movie star. In a perfect world, her image—a girl-woman, innocent and endearing as a teenager, desirable and voluptuous as an adult—would naturally bridge her status as a social media figure projecting sexuality in every direction and her professional success as a star whose image fills screens everywhere.
In the current climate, however, the only truly loyal market segment Hollywood has left is young audiences—children and teenagers. While nearly all of them know who Sydney Sweeney is from Instagram and TikTok, they’re less impressed by plunging necklines, and even less by her attempts to court younger viewers, as in her much-maligned superhero outing Madame Web, which suffered a resounding box office failure. It made one thing clear to anyone still wondering: Sydney Sweeney is a movie star for adults only. But what happens when adults no longer go to the movies?
The good news is that adults are still watching television, and they can continue to enjoy Sweeney’s dramatic skills—and her sculpted physique—up close on the small screen in projects like The White Lotus and Euphoria, which is set to return soon for a third season. In the meantime, she continues to fight for her place on the big screen, at least until the expiration date of her career arrives—or that of the film industry as a whole. Whichever comes first.
She could take a lesson from the case of Emilia Clarke, who burst into the public consciousness through intense, uninhibited sex scenes on Game of Thrones. When Clarke decided to put an end to her on-screen nudity, she effectively also brought an end to a career that never expanded beyond the role of Daenerys Targaryen.
Unlike Clarke, Sweeney continues to fully leverage her public image as a sex symbol and social media figure to advance herself as an actress. The gap between these two aspects of her celebrity life is impossible to ignore, but Sweeney pushes back against the image and the stereotypes attached to it by making the far-from-obvious choice to appear in modest, low-budget independent films rather than big studio productions. Instead of playing a vapid bimbo in a commercial comedy or a juvenile superhero, she challenges herself, and her audience, with complex female characters in Americana, Christy and Reality (2023), in which she portrayed Reality Winner, who was imprisoned for leaking classified information. She is next set to appear as Kim Novak in the period drama Scandalous!, about the actress’ “scandalous” romance with Black entertainer Sammy Davis Jr.
Through talent, audacity and a willingness to expose herself both physically and emotionally, the young and tenacious Sweeney continues to fight prejudice through her screen work. She chooses demanding female roles, layering them with character—and, when necessary, shedding layers of clothing as well. There’s no point denying the importance of nudity to the development of her career, and if that’s what it takes for her to remain relevant in a life split between the small and big screens, she’ll keep doing it, unapologetically. Unlike fleeting erotic fantasies and disposable sex thrillers that grab attention for a moment and are quickly forgotten, Sweeney, an ambitious actress, is here to get under your skin—even if not into your wallet.