Universal Pictures and Blumhouse’s horror film Other Mommy dominated the North American box office over the weekend. It captured the number one spot with $27.5 million despite dismal reviews. Meanwhile, Sony’s high-profile drama The Social Reckoning stumbled out of the gate, debuting with a weak $5.5 million and finishing in fifth place.
These contrasting results highlight a broader box office trend favoring genre scares over real-world corporate dramas. Other Mommy was directed by Rob Savage and produced by James Wan alongside Blumhouse Atomic Monster. It stars Jessica Chastain in dual roles as a real mother and a sinister supernatural doppelgänger that terrorizes a young girl.
The $19 million production easily surpassed expectations despite carrying an 18% approval rating with critics on Rotten Tomatoes and a rare “D+” CinemaScore from audiences. The film also grossed $17.69 million internationally, bringing its global debut to $45.19 million. Universal’s head of domestic distribution, Jim Orr, noted that the audience demographic was evenly split and skewed heavily toward younger viewers aged 18 to 34.
The Social Reckoning Stumbles at Box Office
In contrast, The Social Reckoning faced a steep uphill battle from the start. Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, this Columbia Pictures and Alcon Entertainment release serves as a companion piece to 2010’s critically acclaimed The Social Network.
Inspired by true events, the R-rated drama stars Mikey Madison as Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen. She enlists Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, played by Jeremy Allen White, to expose corporate practices. Jeremy Strong stepped into the role of tech executive Mark Zuckerberg.
Carrying a $30 million production budget, the film failed to capture public interest and fell short of initial projections that pegged its opening between $7 million and $8 million. Audiences awarded the film a “B-” CinemaScore alongside a 54% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Industry analysts suggested that general audiences may be less intrigued by retrospective examinations of social media scandals compared to contemporary conversations surrounding artificial intelligence.
Box Office Holdovers and Specialty Releases
Amazon MGM’s R-rated psychological thriller Verity secured second place in its second weekend. It brought in $11.5 million-a 64% drop-for a domestic total of $53.9 million. Directed by Michael Showalter and based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, the film stars Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett.
Sony’s video game adaptation Resident Evil claimed third place in its fourth frame with $8.35 million, raising its domestic cume to $138.5 million. Paramount’s wilderness survival thriller Heart of the Beast followed in fourth place with $7.1 million, pushing its domestic total to $49.6 million.
On the specialty front, several awards-contending titles opened in limited release. The Cannes Palme d’Or winner Fjord debuted with $124,000 across four theaters in New York and Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Alex Gibney’s nearly four-hour Elon Musk documentary titled Musk grossed $68,900 from four locations, and Chris Rock’s directorial effort Misty Green collected $85,716 from six screens.
Overall, the domestic box office crossed the $8 billion threshold for the year. This outpaces last year’s timeline significantly, even as October box office totals experience traditional seasonal fluctuations.
