Sydney Sweeney’s Americana Was Seemingly A Bomb At The Box Office, But Not So Fast

It was another big weekend at the theater for the new horror movie Weapons, which held the top spot for a second week. Meanwhile, Sydney Sweeney’s latest 2025 movie release Americana failed to crack the top twenty, earning just $500K in its opening weekend. That led many to label it a “bomb,” but the reality behind its box office tells a different story.

When a well-known star headlines a wide-release movie that doesn’t do well at the box office, people are quick to call it a "bomb." But Deadline took a closer look at the numbers and said that labeling "Americana" a bomb is not quite fair. Directed by Tony Tost and starring Paul Walter Hauser and Halsey, the western crime drama was never meant to be a typical studio blockbuster. Instead, Lionsgate put it out through its Lionsgate Premiere Releasing label, which is set up to handle smaller, niche films with limited marketing budgets and low box office expectations.

What this means in practice is that Lionsgate picked up Americana for around $3 million, with 60% of that already covered by foreign pre-sales. Its marketing budget (a mix of digital ads and in-theater trailers) came in under $3 million, and the movie is on track for an eventual $1.5 million domestic gross. That may not sound like much, but once premium VOD and streaming — specifically Lionsgate’s deal with Starz — enter the picture, the studio expects the title to turn a small but definite profit.

Sydney Sweeney, with big blonde hair and denim jacket, starring in Americana (2025).

(Image credit: Lionsgate Movies)

In other words, Americana was never trying to compete with the likes of upcoming superhero movies or highly anticipated sequels like Freakier Friday or Bob Odenkirk’s Nobody 2, which all had much higher budgets and a bigger marketing push. The comparison is apples to oranges. By placing Americana in over 1,000 theaters, Lionsgate wasn’t signaling “big blockbuster hopes” but rather positioning it to have more weight when it moves into digital and streaming windows.

It’s also important to remember that many star-driven indie projects never even make it to theaters in today's cinematic and streaming climate. With financiers struggling and even the best streaming platforms tightening their acquisitions, plenty of high-profile titles go unsold or get released quietly without fanfare. By contrast, Lionsgate gave Americana a fighting chance in theaters while using the opportunity to build relationships, both with first-time feature director Tony Tost and with Sweeney, who has quickly become one of the most in-demand young actors in Hollywood.

And that might be the biggest takeaway here. For Sweeney, Americana wasn’t meant to be another Anyone But You, which was the $220M sleeper rom-com hit that cemented her as a box office draw. Instead, this was more of an in-between project, one that lets her show range while the studio eyes the bigger picture. Lionsgate already has her thriller The Housemaid, an upcoming book-to-screen adaptation, lined up for Christmas, which will serve as the true test of her star power in a wide-release setting.

Sydney Sweeney, clad head-to-toe in denim, gazes straight into the camera for American Eagle's "good jeans" ad campaign, which has created controversy.

(Image credit: American Eagle)

So yes, Americana didn’t rake in millions its first weekend. But “bomb”? Not quite. In indie terms, this is business as usual and a modest play designed to pay off in the long run. If anything, it’s a reminder that not every Sydney Sweeney movie has to be a blockbuster to matter. Sometimes the smaller moves set the stage for the bigger ones.

It’s not too late to catch Americana on the big screen. The film is still playing in select theaters. Check your local listings for showtimes.

Ryan graduated from Missouri State University with a BA in English/Creative Writing. An expert in all things horror, Ryan enjoys covering a wide variety of topics. He's also a lifelong comic book fan and an avid watcher of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. 

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