Sydney Sweeney’s Thriller Outshines Avatar: Fire and Ash in 2025

As the year winds down, the film industry has thrown up a surprise that’s caught plenty off guard. James Cameron’s long-awaited sci-fi epic, Avatar: Fire and Ash, which reportedly cost more than $400 million to make, has been nudged out of the top spot by a psychological thriller fronted by Sydney Sweeney. Despite both films hitting cinemas in December, it’s the smaller, more intense drama that’s found favour with critics, showing that sometimes less really is more.

Critical Reception: Blockbuster vs. Intimate Drama

Avatar: Fire and Ash, directed by Cameron, landed with a 70 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Meanwhile, The Housemaid, a psychological thriller helmed by Paul Feig and starring Sweeney, managed to pull ahead with an 80 percent score. The contrast between the two couldn’t be starker: one is a massive, effects-laden spectacle from 20th Century Studios, the other a tightly wound Lionsgate production with a budget that’s still under wraps. Both films launched on the same day, but the critical response has clearly leaned towards the more restrained, character-driven story.

This shift in critical taste suggests that reviewers are increasingly valuing strong performances and emotional depth over sheer scale and technical wizardry. It’s a reminder that even in a year packed with blockbusters, a well-crafted thriller can still steal the spotlight.

Cameron’s Response to the Critics

James Cameron, never one to shy away from defending his creative decisions, has pushed back against the criticism levelled at Avatar: Fire and Ash. Much of the debate has centred on his continued use of high frame rate technology, a choice that’s divided audiences since Avatar: The Way of Water. Cameron’s response has been characteristically blunt:

I think $2.3 billion (box office) says you might be wrong on that. Well, that’s the argument from authority, but the argument from artistic people is ‘I happen to like it, and it’s my movie’.

He’s also voiced concerns about the broader state of cinema, pointing out that streaming is changing the way people engage with stories. In his words:

There’s no way to talk about what audiences want without talking about the decline of cinema. The cinematic experience is being supplanted in our cultural discussion by streaming.

Reflecting on the impact of the pandemic, Cameron added:

Covid gave cinema a big kick and people moved to a different way of taking in their storytelling. And so, when people go to a cinema they want something so far outside the norm that it’s worth hiring a babysitter for.

The Housemaid: A New Take on a Bestseller

While Cameron’s film has sparked debate over technology and tradition, The Housemaid is making waves for a different reason. Director Paul Feig has confirmed that the film’s ending won’t match the conclusion of Freida McFadden’s popular novel. At the Los Angeles premiere, Feig explained his approach, saying he enjoys keeping audiences on their toes and praised Lionsgate for keeping the film’s secrets under wraps. He noted:

It’s weird though because the book is out; all you have to do is go to the bookstore and you know the twist but we added a new ending, so the people who love the book you get more.

Feig went on to say:

There’s things that work in the book that are really satisfying, but on the big screen you always want more. No spoilers, but there are relationships I wanted to have a final button on and so we were able to do that.

Sydney Sweeney, who leads the cast, shared her own thoughts on adapting the story:

I’m a huge book lover and I read books religiously, so whenever I see a book adaptations on film, you compare. So there were different things that of course we wanted to take from the book and then there were different aspects that Paul wanted to change… But everything else I wanted to really stay true to the book.

Brandon Sklenar, also in the cast, added:

I wanted to obviously do it justice, but I also wanted to turn certain elements up to 11 and kind of surprise people and give them something they may not expect, even if they had read the book.

Both Avatar: Fire and Ash and The Housemaid are currently screening exclusively in cinemas.