‘Other Mommy’ Shrugs Off Brutal Reviews With Shockingly Strong Previews as Horror Keeps Its Box Office Crown

Horror has a way of ignoring critics and speaking directly to audiences, and the genre keeps proving it. Even when reviews turn savage, a good scare and a clever hook can still pull crowds into theaters. The latest example arrives in the form of Jessica Chastain’s new nightmare, ‘Other Mommy’.

The R-rated film is a Blumhouse and Atomic Monster production, and its marketing has leaned hard on a creepy central idea. As opening day arrived, expectations were modest, which makes the early numbers all the more striking.

‘Other Mommy‘ earned $3.6 million in Thursday previews, a figure that is much better than expected. That puts it ahead of a long list of recent horror hits at the same stage. By comparison, ‘Black Phone 2’ made $2.6 million, ‘Smile’ made $2 million, ‘Trap’ made $2.2 million, ‘Evil Dead Rise’ made $2.5 million and ‘M3GAN’ made $2.8 million.

The new film also topped ‘The Exorcist: Believer’ at $2.9 million, ‘Longlegs’ at $3 million and the original ‘The Black Phone’ at $3 million. Only ‘Iron Lung’ and ‘Scream 5’, both at $3.5 million, were close, and ‘Other Mommy’ edges past them as well.

Horror remains the king at US #BoxOffice, as R-rated film #OtherMommy, starring #JessicaChastain, surprised with STRONG, much better than expected 3.6M THU Previews (vs #BlackPhone2’s 2.6M ,#Smile 2M, #Trap 2.2M, #EvilDeadRise 2.5M, #M3GAN’s 2.8M, #TheExorcistBeliever 2.9M, #LongLegs 3M, #TheBlackPhone 3M, #IronLung’s 3.5M, #Scream5’s 3.5M) In a normal world, an opening way over 30M+ would be locked, but reviews have been awful for the film. Even so, a 25M-30M 3-day opening weekend could still be in the cards, what would be incredible for a Blumhouse release..

— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) October 9, 2026

The preview total has raised hopes that the film could break out. Some tracking estimates have put the opening weekend at $22 million to $29 million domestically, while TheWrap projected about $24 million, similar to the original ‘The Black Phone’, which opened at $23.6 million. Another estimate put the range even higher, at $28.5 million to $35 million.

In a typical situation, previews at this level would suggest an opening above $30 million. The film’s reviews, however, are a major complication, so a figure of $25 million to $30 million for the three-day weekend looks more realistic. That would still be an impressive result for a Blumhouse release.

Critics have not been kind. ‘Other Mommy’ currently sits at 20% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 20 reviews, and reviewers often found it flat and short on tension. Some pointed to sloppy direction, a forgettable score and repetitive jump scares.

Even so, almost every review praised Chastain, who plays both the mother, Ursula, and the sinister double. Some critics suggested horror fans might respond more warmly than general critics have, and Letterboxd audience reactions have averaged about 3.19 out of 5. That split between critics and fans is exactly the kind of gap that horror films often exploit.

The film adapts Josh Malerman’s 2024 novel ‘Incidents Around the House’. It follows Bela, an 8-year-old dealing with her parents’ marriage problems, when a sinister entity that looks and sounds like her mother starts disrupting her life. Bela names the entity “Other Mommy,” and Chastain plays both roles.

Rob Savage, the filmmaker behind ‘Host’ and ‘The Boogeyman’, directs. The cast also includes Arabella Olivia Clark as Bela, Jay Duplass, Dichen Lachman and Arian Moayed. Jason Blum and James Wan are involved in the production, and the film runs about 1 hour and 33 minutes.

First look at an eerie crying billboard for ‘OTHER MOMMY’, starring Jessica Chastain. The film follows a young girl who is threatened by a sinister demon that looks exactly like her mother. https://t.co/4g0jwHVQE6

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 8, 2026

The movie is entering a busy Halloween season. Sony’s ‘Resident Evil’ and DC Studios’ ‘Clayface’ are also drawing horror audiences, while ‘The Social Reckoning’ is projected to open at about $8 million. That puts ‘Other Mommy’ in a strong position to win the weekend, at least on paper.

Recent horror hits show how far good word of mouth can carry a film. ‘Obsession’ opened at about $17 million and went on to earn $520 million worldwide, while ‘Backrooms’ opened to $81.4 million and reached about $400 million worldwide. Whether ‘Other Mommy’ can find similar legs will depend on how audiences react once the weekend begins.

The bigger question is what happens after the first weekend. A strong debut could turn the film into a profitable success despite the reviews, but weak word of mouth could cause a steep drop. For now, the previews suggest that audiences are curious.

The film also shows how much Chastain’s presence matters. Her performance has been the one point of agreement among critics and fans alike, and it may be what carries the movie beyond opening night.

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