This past weekend, Jessica Chastain’s horror film “Other Mommy” unexpectedly topped the North American box office, drawing in more viewers than anticipated. Meanwhile, the other big release, “The Social Reckoning,” struggled to make an impression.
‘Other Mommy’ is Another Win for Horror
“Other Mommy,” released by Universal Pictures, raked in $27.5 million during its opening weekend across 3,365 theaters, according to estimates released on Sunday. The film tells the chilling story of a sinister supernatural entity that haunts a young girl who believes it is her mother. Despite its box office success, the film received poor reviews, achieving a D+ CinemaScore, similar to other recent horror films like “Megalopolis” and “Hereditary.”
With a production budget of approximately $19 million, “Other Mommy” marks another successful outing for the horror genre and the production company Blumhouse Atomic Monster, known for hits like “Backrooms” and “Obsession.” The film also opened in 50 international markets, boosting its global debut to $45.2 million.
Jim Orr, Universal’s head of domestic distribution, highlighted the diverse audience for “Other Mommy,” noting that gender distribution was nearly equal and roughly two-thirds of attendees were between the ages of 18 and 34. “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’ Fails to Connect
In stark contrast, “The Social Reckoning,” which tells the story of a Facebook whistleblower, earned a mere $5.5 million from 2,606 theaters in North America. Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, this film features stars like Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, and Jeremy Strong. Unlike Sorkin’s earlier success with “The Social Network,” which opened to over $22 million and grossed over $224 million worldwide, “The Social Reckoning” received mixed-to-negative reviews and garnered a B- CinemaScore.
The production cost for “The Social Reckoning” was around $30 million, not including marketing expenses. Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak’s head of marketplace trends, mentioned that October is typically a time for studios to take risks, but those risks don’t always pay off. “These movies that are topical in nature, sometimes they resonate with the culture, sometimes they don’t,” he said, highlighting the unpredictability of audience reception.
The Overall Box Office is Still Up
Despite “The Social Reckoning” underperforming, the overall box office figures remain strong. The psychological thriller “Verity,” starring Anne Hathaway, secured second place with $11.5 million, a 64% drop from its opening weekend. “Resident Evil” added $8.4 million, bringing its domestic total to $138.5 million, while “Heart of the Beast,” featuring Brad Pitt, took fourth place with $7.1 million.
Additionally, Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” made a noteworthy return to the top 10 in its 13th weekend in theaters, earning $2 million from 560 theaters, pushing its domestic total close to $623 million.
Several films also debuted in limited release. The Cannes Palme d’Or winner “Fjord” earned $124,000 from four screens, while the nearly four-hour Elon Musk documentary “Musk” grossed $68,900 from four locations. Furthermore, Chris Rock’s “Misty Green” brought in $85,716 from six locations through Sunday.
As of Friday, the annual domestic box office surpassed the $8 billion mark, reflecting a 19% increase compared to last year, though still about 8% behind 2019 levels.
Top 10 Movies by Domestic Box Office
With final domestic figures set to be released on Monday, here’s a look at the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday in U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak:
- “Other Mommy,” $27.5 million.
- “Verity,” $11.5 million.
- “Resident Evil,” $8.4 million.
- “Heart of the Beast,” $7.1 million.
- “The Social Reckoning,” $5.5 million.
- “Forgotten Island,” $4.5 million.
- “Primetime,” $4 million.
- “Digger,” $3.2 million.
- “Angel and the Badman,” $2.1 million.
- “The Odyssey,” $2 million.
