Babygirl is a 2024 American erotic thriller film written, directed, and produced by Halina Reijn. The film stars Nicole Kidman as a high-powered CEO who puts her career and family on the line when she begins an affair with a much younger intern (Harris Dickinson). Sophie Wilde and Antonio Banderas also star.
Babygirl premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on August 30, 2024, where Kidman won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress, followed by a premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2024, with a wide theatrical release by A24 on December 25, 2024. It received positive reviews and became a box office success, grossing $64.7 million on a $20 million budget. It was named one of the top ten films of 2024 by the National Board of Review, where Kidman was also awarded the Best Actress prize.
Plot
Romy Mathis, the CEO of a robotic process automation company in New York City, is dissatisfied with her sex life with her husband, theater director Jacob. She is almost attacked by a loose dog on the way to work but a young man named Samuel intervenes. He turns out to be an intern at Romy's company, who picks her as his mentor through the company's mentorship program. When Samuel propositions Romy during a private meeting, she hesitantly gives in and kisses him. Conflicted about the incident, the two later meet at a hotel. Romy expresses concern she may be taking advantage of Samuel due to their power imbalance, but Samuel retorts that he has the power to get her fired "with just one phone call". During the ensuing sexual encounter Samuel plays the role of a dominant partner. Romy is deeply conflicted about her enjoyment of the experience, but their sexual affair becomes prolonged and intense.
Samuel continues to push boundaries. He appears at Romy and Jacob's country home, ingratiating himself with the entire family under the pretense of returning a laptop Romy left at the office. Feeling disrespected, Romy orders Samuel to never show up at her home again. When Samuel threatens to request a transfer to a different department, Romy realizes it could lead to uncomfortable questions about their relationship. Romy's stress continues to build, and she admits to Jacob she has never experienced an orgasm with him. She convinces Samuel to continue their affair by promising submission. Samuel appears at her house uninvited during her daughter Nora's birthday party, accompanied by Esmée, Romy's executive assistant, whom he is dating.
Esmée, aware of Romy's affair with Samuel, implores her to end it, since there are few high-ranking women in the company and Romy should be a respectable role model. Romy confesses her infidelity to Jacob, but describes it as a one-night stand with a stranger. Attempts to express her sexual needs are overshadowed by her confession and he doesn't hear her. Romy retreats to their country house. Jacob arrives later, finds her talking with Samuel, and they fight. Jacob likens female masochism to neurosis or male construct, Samuel calls that a dated idea, and Jacob has a panic attack. Samuel calms Jacob down with an embrace then leaves. Encouraged by her teenage daughter Isabel, Romy decides to reconcile with Jacob. Romy learns Samuel has taken a new job in Japan. A board member implies he knows about the affair and invites Romy to his own house. Romy refuses. Romy and Jacob, with rekindled romance, reenact the type of rough sex that Samuel introduced Romy to. She climaxes while fantasizing about Samuel.
Cast
Nicole Kidman as Romy Mathis, a CEO, Jacob's wife, Isabel and Nora's mother, and Samuel's employer and lover Harris Dickinson as Samuel, Romy's intern and lover Antonio Banderas as Jacob Mathis, a theatre director, Romy's husband, and Isabel and Nora's father Sophie Wilde as Esmée Smith, Romy's assistant Esther McGregor as Isabel Mathis, Romy and Jacob's daughter, and Nora's older sister Vaughan Reilly as Nora Mathis, Romy and Jacob's daughter, and Isabel's younger sister Victor Slezak as Sebastian Missel, a board member Leslie Silva as Hazel, an executive Gaite Jansen as Hedda/Scarlett Robert Farrior as Brack/Stephen Bartley Booz as Tom Anoop Desai as Robert Dolly Wells as a therapist Maxwell Whittington-Cooper as Josh
Production
Development It was announced in November 2023 that David Hinojosa of 2AM was going to produce the project alongside Halina Reijn of Man Up Films, with A24 financing the project. Julia Oh, Zach Nutman, and Christine D'Souza Gelb of 2AM served as executive producers. It was later revealed that Julia Oh would take on the producer role, contrary to earlier reports that she would serve as an executive producer. In addition to her role as producer, Halina Reijn directed the film from a screenplay she wrote. The project marked Reijn's second English-language feature film, both produced by A24.
The original plan was to make a summer movie; however, it was changed to Christmas due to the impact of the 2023 WGA strike and 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike on the film's schedule. The film's workplace dynamics were influenced by cinematic elements from Indecent Proposal and Basic Instinct. The affair in the film was set in an American workplace because the stricter hierarchy and rules in the U.S. compared to Europe was felt by the filmmaker to make such a relationship feel even more forbidden and taboo.
Reijn was inspired to write the script after hearing about a woman who had never experienced an orgasm throughout her 25-year marriage. She added that her interest in exploring women's relationships with their bodies was a key motivator for making this movie. She also credited her passion for the erotic thrillers of the 1980s and 1990s, particularly those by directors Paul Verhoeven and Adrian Lyne, as the inspirational driving force behind her decision to make this film. Lizzy Talbot was hired as the intimacy coordinator.
The film features a significant 24-year age gap between its lead characters, with Romy written as 49 and Samuel as 25. However, the real-life age difference between Nicole Kidman (56 during filming) and Harris Dickinson (27) was even greater. Reijn emphasized the importance of normalizing age gaps in relationships, particularly when women are the older partners, stating, "It should completely be normalized that the age gaps switch and that women have different relationships. We're not trapped in a box anymore." Dickinson noted that the limited pre-filming interaction between him and Kidman ultimately benefited the project, as it allowed them to build trust and work together with kindness, enhancing the authenticity of their on-screen dynamic.
Kidman and Reijn built a strong bond while preparing for the film in New York, fostering trust and openness. They worked closely, revising scenes and sharing personal stories, creating a collaborative, intimate environment. Kidman credits Reijn's supportive approach for helping her embrace the emotional and physical vulnerability required for the role.
Casting In November 2023, Kidman, Dickinson, Antonio Banderas, Sophie Wilde, and Jean Reno were announced as part of the cast. Other cast members included John Cenatiempo, Vaughan Reilly, Victor Slezak, Anoop Desai, and Maxwell Whittington-Cooper. Esther McGregor was reported to star.
Filming Principal photography began in December 2023 in New York City, and wrapped in February 2024.
Music
On December 2, 2024, Sky Ferreira announced the release of "Leash", a song written and co-produced by her for the soundtrack of the film. The film score was composed by Cristobal Tapia de Veer and was released digitally on December 25, 2024, through A24 Music.
The film features INXS's 1988 single "Never Tear Us Apart". A24 struggled to secure the rights to the track, which Reijn complained about to Kidman, who personally secured the rights within "a couple of days".
George Michael's 1987 song "Father Figure" recharted on the UK Singles Downloads Chart (No. 71) and UK singles chart (No. 73) after being prominently featured in the film.
Release Theatrical
Babygirl premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on August 30, 2024. Following this, it was also premiered at the 49th Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2024. The film was initially set for a release in the United States and Canada on December 20, 2024, but the date was later shifted to December 25, 2024, for its theatrical debut.
Home media Babygirl was released in the United States on VOD on January 28, 2025. The film was released on Max on April 25, 2025. The movie was released on Blu-ray and 4K from A24 on March 18, 2025.
Reception Box office Babygirl has grossed $28.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $36.5 million in other territories, for a total of $64.7 million worldwide. The film's break-even point was reported around $50 million.
In the United States and Canada, Babygirl was released alongside Nosferatu, A Complete Unknown, and The Fire Inside, and was projected to gross around $7 million from 2,115 theaters in its five-day opening weekend. The film made $1.5 million on its first day and then $1.3 million on its second. It went on to debut to $4.4 million in its opening weekend (and a total of $7.3 million over the five days), finishing in seventh place. It then made $1.4 million on the first day of 2025, for a total of $10.5 million over its first eight days of release. The film enjoyed a stronghold in its second weekend, dropping just 0.5% to $4.5 million. It fell by 31% and earned $3.1 million, finishing eighth in its third weekend with a reduction in theaters. The film dropped only 36% and earned a solid $1.9 million, finishing eleventh in the fourth weekend despite losing 427 theaters and playing across just 1,460 theaters.
In the U.K. and Ireland, where the film was released on January 10, 2025, it made $5.1 million from January 3–February 6, 2025, and placed eighth. The film achieved strong performance in international markets, with notable success in countries such as Ukraine, the Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, Romania, France, Spain, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
Home media performance In its debut week on PVOD in the U.S., the film was the top-rented title, placing third on iTunes and sixth on Fandango. It placed eighth on iTunes for the second week.
Critical response Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 79 out of 100, based on 55 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it a 67% overall positive score, with 38% saying they would "definitely recommend" it.