HBO Max's R-Rated Psychological Thriller Continues Sydney Sweeney's Global Streaming Domination

Published Aug 11, 2026, 9:34 AM EDT Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more. Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics." The era of Sydney Sweeney on streaming rages on, all thanks to an R-rated psychological thriller that has now become a major hit on HBO Max after arriving from another streaming service. Sweeney is one of Hollywood's most in-demand stars. The actress recently concluded her run in the hit HBO drama series Euphoria, which served as her breakout project, with Jacob Elordi, Zendaya, and more. On the big screen, Sweeney has found major success with a few projects. Sweeney co-starred in the R-rated Anyone but You alongside Glen Powell, with the rom-com boosting the actors to become two of the industry's most popular leads. Sweeney has since fronted multiple films of different genres, with her latest release, The Housemaid, becoming her biggest thus far, grossing $400.5 million. Directed by Paul Feig and with a popular cast that included Amanda Seyfried and 1923's Brandon Sklenar, Sweeney showed that she finds herself at home in R-rated psychological thrillers. Well, it just so happens that five years ago, the actress led a film that tapped into that same well. Now, that thriller has become a global streaming sensation once more, but on a different streaming service. Hollywood · Rising Star Dossier How Well Do You Know Sydney Sweeney? From Euphoria to the big screen — test your knowledge 🎡EuphoriaCassie Howard 🏜WhiteLotusOlivia Mossbacher 📸AnyoneBut YouBea 🎬RealityWinner ⛫ImmaculateSister Cecilia TAKE THE SPOTLIGHT → 01 Sydney Sweeney’s breakout role on HBO’s “Euphoria” earned her widespread recognition. What is the name of her character on the show? AMaddy Perez BRue Bennett CCassie Howard DLexi Howard ✓ Correct! Sydney plays Cassie Howard, the emotionally vulnerable and people-pleasing teen whose turbulent love life becomes a central storyline. Her Season 2 performance — especially the iconic bathroom meltdown scenes — earned her an Emmy nomination. ✗ Not quite! The answer is Cassie Howard. Rue Bennett is Zendaya’s character, Maddy Perez is played by Alexa Demie, and Lexi Howard (Cassie’s sister) is played by Maude Apatow. Sydney’s Cassie became one of Season 2’s most talked-about characters. NEXT → 02 In the first season of HBO’s “The White Lotus,” Sydney plays a sharp, judgmental college student vacationing in Hawaii. What is her character’s name? ARachel Patton BOlivia Mossbacher CPaula DQuinn Mossbacher ✓ Correct! Sydney plays Olivia Mossbacher, the privileged and intellectually pretentious daughter of the Mossbacher family. Her deadpan delivery and snobbish attitude made Olivia a fan-favorite character in Mike White’s satirical hit. ✗ Not quite! The answer is Olivia Mossbacher. Rachel is Alexandra Daddario’s character, Paula is Brittany O’Grady’s role (Olivia’s best friend), and Quinn is Olivia’s younger brother. Sydney’s Olivia steals every scene with her cutting commentary. NEXT → 03 Before her major breakout, Sydney appeared in a critically acclaimed Hulu series based on Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel. Which show was it? AThe Handmaid’s Tale BCastle Rock CThe Act DLittle Fires Everywhere ✓ Correct! Sydney played Eden Spencer in Season 2 of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a devout and obedient young bride in the oppressive Gilead regime. Despite being a recurring role, her performance was emotionally devastating and showed her dramatic range early on. ✗ Not quite! The answer is The Handmaid’s Tale. Sydney played Eden Spencer, a 15-year-old bride in Gilead during Season 2. It was one of her first major prestige TV roles and demonstrated the dramatic talent that would later explode with Euphoria. NEXT → 04 Sydney starred in the surprise rom-com hit “Anyone But You” (2023). Which actor plays her love interest, Ben, in the film? AJacob Elordi BAustin Butler CHarris Dickinson DGlen Powell ✓ Correct! Glen Powell plays Ben opposite Sydney’s Bea in this modern retelling inspired by Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” The film became a sleeper box office hit, earning over $220 million worldwide and reviving the theatrical rom-com genre. ✗ Not quite! The answer is Glen Powell. While Jacob Elordi is Sydney’s Euphoria co-star, it’s Glen Powell who plays her enemies-to-lovers match in “Anyone But You.” The film’s massive success was credited to their electric chemistry. NEXT → 05 Sydney starred in and produced the 2024 horror film “Immaculate.” Where is the film primarily set? AA haunted boarding school in England BA remote convent in the Italian countryside CAn abandoned hospital in France DA secluded monastery in Spain ✓ Correct! “Immaculate” is set in a remote Italian convent where Sydney plays Sister Cecilia, a young American nun who discovers the institution harbors terrifying secrets. Sydney also served as a producer on the film, marking a significant step in her behind-the-camera career. ✗ Not quite! The answer is a remote convent in the Italian countryside. Sydney plays Sister Cecilia, a devout young nun who travels to Italy only to find herself trapped in a nightmare. The film was shot on location in Italy and showcased Sydney’s range as both star and producer. NEXT → 06 Sydney made Emmy history in 2022 by earning two acting nominations in the same year for two different HBO shows. “Euphoria” was one — what was the other? ASharp Objects BSuccession CThe White Lotus DThe Handmaid’s Tale ✓ Correct! In 2022, Sydney earned a Supporting Actress nomination for “Euphoria” and a Limited Series Supporting Actress nomination for “The White Lotus” — both on HBO. Being double-nominated across two of the network’s biggest shows cemented her as one of the most in-demand young actresses in Hollywood. ✗ Not quite! The answer is The White Lotus. Sydney’s dual nominations for Euphoria and The White Lotus in the same Emmy cycle was a remarkable achievement. Both shows were critical and commercial hits for HBO, and Sydney was central to each. NEXT → 07 In the 2023 HBO film “Reality,” Sydney plays a real-life person — an NSA whistleblower who leaked classified documents to the press. Who did she portray? AReality Winner BChelsea Manning CTerry Albury DNatalie Mayflower Sours Edwards ✓ Correct! Sydney portrays Reality Winner, the former Air Force linguist and NSA contractor who was arrested in 2017 for leaking a classified report on Russian election interference. The film recreates her FBI interrogation using actual transcript recordings and was praised for Sydney’s riveting, restrained performance. ✗ Not quite! The answer is Reality Winner. The HBO film is based on the real FBI interrogation of Reality Winner, who leaked classified intelligence documents. Sydney’s intense, dialogue-driven performance was widely praised as some of her finest dramatic work. NEXT → 08 Beyond acting, Sydney is known for an unusual hobby she’s been passionate about since she was a teenager, even earning a competition-level certification. What is it? AProfessional-level baking BCompetitive horseback riding CSurfing competitions DMMA-trained fighter / restoring vintage cars ✓ Correct! Sydney is famously a trained MMA fighter and a gearhead who restores classic cars. She’s been passionate about mixed martial arts since high school and has also shared her love of working on vintage automobiles — hobbies that surprised fans who only knew her from her on-screen roles. ✗ Not quite! The answer is MMA training and restoring vintage cars. Sydney trained in MMA as a teenager and still practices. She’s also a self-taught mechanic who restores classic cars in her spare time — she’s shared her work on social media, showing there’s much more to her than meets the eye. REVEAL MY SCORE → Spotlight · Final Review Your Fan Score 🌟 / 8 Superfan or casual viewer? ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ The Voyeurs is a Prime Video original movie. The R-rated erotic thriller was released on the streaming service on September 10, 2021. Now, a month before the film turns 5, The Voyeurs has become a global streaming hit on HBO Max, as the psychological thriller was licensed to the streaming service in select countries. This cements Sweeney's domination of the streamer's global charts. The Voyeurs Cements Sydney Sweeney's HBO Max Success At the time of writing, The Voyeurs is the 9th most-watched movie on HBO Max worldwide. The R-rated thriller leaves behind Andrew Garfield's The Amazing Spider-Man, which has surely been boosted by the epic box office performance of Tom Holland's Spider-Man: Brand New Day. HBO Max's global chart is led by the video game adaptation Mortal Kombat II. Currently, Sweeney's The Voyeurs is trending on HBO Max in 14 countries, with all of them coming from Europe. The Voyeurs is only HBO Max's most-watched movie in one of them: Hungary. The film started trending on HBO Max on Monday, August 10. The Voyeurs' newfound success confirms Sweeney's dominance of the streamer. Before the Prime Video original came to HBO Max in select countries, Sweeney was already the star of another film posting major numbers for the streaming service. That would be Americana, a 2025 crime comedy that is currently the 5th most-watched movie on HBO Max around the world. Americana is trending in 20 countries. Both of the films are not available on HBO Max in the United States, showing Sweeney's popularity worldwide remains just as strong without a nationwide boost. Additionally, The Housemaid has been trending all year on streaming services like Starz and Prime Video, as well as on VOD, and more, cementing Sweeney as a major viewership draw. The Voyeurs' HBO Max Global Success Is Part Of A Major Prime Video Strategy Some might be confused as to why The Voyeurs, a Prime Video original, is trending on HBO Max in the first place. Well, that is part of a larger strategy from the streaming service. For years now, Amazon MGM Studios has been looking at licensing films and TV shows to third parties as a strong revenue channel. Speaking to Señal News on October 30, 2023, Amazon MGM Studios Distribution head, Chris Ottinger, confirmed Prime Video's "aim to be as strong as possible in our third-party distribution." Among the titles mentioned was Sweeney's The Voyeurs. Keeping in line with that, Prime Video has also struck a huge licensing deal with Netflix. As such, some of the streamer's biggest originals, like the dystopian sci-fi series The Man in the High Castle, have come to Netflix, with even more on the way. The Voyeurs is just the latest project of Prime Video's plan to license their originals to third parties to become a global streaming hit in a new home, though it helps cement Sydney Sweeney's HBO Max dominance. Release Date August 25, 2021 Runtime 117 minutes Director Michael Mohan Writers Michael Mohan Producers Adam Hendricks, Greg Gilreath