Horror Film 'Other Mommy' Claims Top Box Office Spot, 'The Social Reckoning' Stumbles

The horror film “Other Mommy,” starring Jessica Chastain, surpassed expectations to take the No. 1 spot at the North American box office this weekend, earning an estimated $27.5 million. In contrast, “The Social Reckoning,” a new film from writer and director Aaron Sorkin, had a sluggish debut, bringing in only $5.5 million.

“Other Mommy,” released by Universal Pictures, played in 3,365 theaters and tells the story of a supernatural creature that haunts a young girl. Despite receiving poor reviews from critics and audiences, evidenced by a D+ CinemaScore, the film's production budget of approximately $19 million suggests profitability. It also contributed to the strong performance of the horror genre and producer Blumhouse Atomic Monster, known for films like “Backrooms” and “Obsession.” The film's global debut reached $45.2 million, bolstered by its opening in 50 international markets.

Jim Orr, Universal's head of domestic distribution, noted that the audience for “Other Mommy” was evenly split between genders and largely comprised individuals between 18 and 34 years old. "No matter how you look at it, everybody turned out for it. It wasn’t just one particular demographic," Orr stated. "That usually is a very good sign."

“The Social Reckoning,” which focuses on a Facebook whistleblower who leaked documents to a Wall Street Journal reporter, opened to a disappointing $5.5 million from 2,606 theaters. This performance stands in stark contrast to Sorkin's previous work, “The Social Network,” which he also wrote. That 2010 film, directed by David Fincher, earned over $22 million in its opening weekend and went on to gross more than $224 million worldwide, securing eight Oscar nominations and three wins.

The new film, starring Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, and Jeremy Strong, garnered mixed-to-negative reviews and a B- CinemaScore. With a reported production cost of around $30 million before marketing and promotion, “The Social Reckoning” faces an uphill battle to replicate the success of its predecessor.

Industry analysts pointed to the unpredictability of audience reception for topical films, especially during October, a month when studios often take creative risks. “These movies that are topical in nature, sometimes they resonate with the culture, sometimes they don’t,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak’s head of marketplace trends. “You don’t always know what’s going to connect with audiences.” He drew a parallel to the performance of the film “Digger,” which saw a significant drop in its second weekend.

“The Social Reckoning” also lagged behind several holdover films. The Anne Hathaway thriller “Verity” secured second place with $11.5 million, marking a 64% decrease from its opening weekend. “Resident Evil” took third with $8.4 million, bringing its domestic total to $138.5 million. The Brad Pitt survival film “Heart of the Beast” was fourth, earning $7.1 million.

Christopher Nolan's “The Odyssey” reappeared in the top 10 in its 13th weekend, adding $2 million from 560 theaters, pushing its domestic total to nearly $623 million.

In limited release, the Cannes Palme d’Or winner “Fjord” debuted with $124,000 from four screens. Alex Gibney's nearly four-hour documentary “Musk” earned $68,900 from four locations, and Chris Rock's “Misty Green” made $85,716 from six locations.

The domestic box office has surpassed $8 billion this year, representing a 19% increase from the previous year, though it remains about 8% behind 2019 figures. The top 10 films for the weekend, based on estimated ticket sales from Friday through Sunday in U.S. and Canadian theaters, were:

1. “Other Mommy,” $27.5 million.
2. “Verity,” $11.5 million.
3. “Resident Evil,” $8.4 million.
4. “Heart of the Beast,” $7.1 million.
5. “The Social Reckoning,” $5.5 million.
6. “Forgotten Island,” $4.5 million.
7. “Primetime,” $4 million.
8. “Digger,” $3.2 million.
9. “Angel and the Badman,” $2.1 million.
10. “The Odyssey,” $2 million.