A film does not necessarily need critical acclaim to draw audiences to theatres, just as a timely subject and a celebrated filmmaker do not guarantee a strong opening. The latest North American box-office results offer a striking example of this divide, with a horror film attracting moviegoers despite unfavourable reviews while a drama centred on one of the biggest technology controversies of recent years struggled to find an audience.
The results also extend a difficult run for high-profile Hollywood releases this month. After Tom Cruise’s Digger opened below expectations last weekend, another major release has failed to make the anticipated impact, even as the horror genre continues to deliver commercially.
Other Mommy, starring Jessica Chastain, has topped the North American box office with an estimated $27.5 million in its opening weekend, while Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning has managed just $5.5 million domestically. According to estimates, the former also collected approximately $17.7 million from international markets, taking its worldwide opening to $45.2 million. The latter earned another $3.5 million overseas, bringing its global debut to $9 million.
The performance of Other Mommy is particularly notable given its reception. Directed by Rob Savage, the supernatural horror film follows an eight-year-old girl who encounters a sinister entity that takes the form of her mother. Despite receiving poor reviews from critics, the film has opened strongly against a reported production budget of around $19 million. Its opening weekend has once again underlined the commercial appeal of horror, particularly when a film can draw audiences looking for a theatrical scare.
In contrast, The Social Reckoning, which Sorkin wrote and directed, opened in fifth place in North America. The sequel to David Fincher’s 2010 film The Social Network follows Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen and her collaboration with Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz to expose the company’s internal practices. Starring Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong, the film received a mixed response from critics.
The opening is a considerable drop from that of its predecessor. The Social Network debuted to approximately $22.6 million in North America in 2010 before going on to collect more than $224 million worldwide. The sequel’s $5.5 million domestic opening is less than a quarter of the original film’s debut, though the two releases arrived in different theatrical and cultural landscapes. With a reported production budget of around $30 million, the new film will need sustained interest beyond its opening weekend to improve its theatrical prospects.
The latest results also follow the underwhelming debut of Digger, the dark comedy starring Cruise and directed by Alejandro G Iñárritu. After opening to around $8 million domestically last weekend, the film dropped by approximately 60% in its second frame, collecting an estimated $3.2 million. Its domestic total now stands at around $14.4 million, with its worldwide gross reported at approximately $35.3 million.
Meanwhile, Verity, starring Anne Hathaway, added $11.5 million in its second weekend, while Resident Evil collected $8.4 million and Heart of the Beast, starring Brad Pitt, earned $7.1 million. The North American box office has crossed $8 billion for the year, remaining ahead of the same point in 2025.