Thanks toBabygirl, Nicole Kidman just crossed a major box office milestone for the first time in nearly two decades. The 2024 release sees Kidman as CEO Romy Mathis as she attempts an affair with Harris Dickinson’s Samuel.Babygirlhas earned exceptional reviews, withScreen Rant’s Alex Harrison describing it as “fascinating to watch” and “calibrated exactly right to its time”. It was officially released on August 13, 2025, and has already earned back its $20 million budget.
This movie is a massive success for Kidman, no matter how its run ends. After all, for the first time sinceAustralia(2008), Kidman has earned over $20 million domestically. Her latest moviecurrently sits at $21.7 millionat the domestic box office, as perThe Numbers. While she has achieved that total with other projects, including both theAquamanmovies andPaddington(2014), none of those works saw her in a leading role. It is her first return to relative success as a leading actor.
What Babygirl’s Success Means For Nicole Kidman
She Could Resume Her Role As A Leading Star
Kidman has enjoyed a long career in Hollywood since her first on-screen appearances in 1983. She earnedfive Academy Award nominations, bringing home the award for Actress for 2002’sThe Hours. She also won two Emmy Awards forBig Little Lies, six Golden Globe Awards, and a BAFTA.Kidman’s best movies and showsgenerally showcase her exceptional talent. Unfortunately, she has not taken many mainstream leading roles in recent years. While she has appeared in many box office successes, few star Kidman:
$335 million
$1.1 billion
Aquaman and the Lost Kindom(2023)
$124 million
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Of her top 10 highest-grossing movies,Kidman has starred in only three of them. The vast majority of her box office successes come from movies in which she took a less prominent role.Babygirlrepresents an opportunity for Kidman to prove herself, yet again, as a star.Babygirl’s limited castis not altogether well-known domestically, so Kidman can use it as evidence that she was the box office draw. That does mean, however, that she needs to see it succeed.
Our Take On Babygirl’s Box Office
It Still Needs To Improve
Babygirl’s potential success is still an open question. It will likely need approximately $50 million to achieve a profit, but positive word-of-mouth could help. Unfortunately, though critics enjoy the movie, it currently sits at just48% on the Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter. That indicates that audiences hold a considerable disdain for the project. Critics have offered a 77% Tomatometer score, but even that is not exceptional. It is still doing relatively well at the box office, given its limited marketing, and Kidman breaking her streak is notable enough.
Babygirl
Cast
Babygirl revolves around a high-powered CEO who risks her career and family by engaging in a passionate affair with her much younger intern. Released in 2024, this narrative explores themes of ambition, power dynamics, and personal sacrifice.
