‘Other Mommy’ Collapses at the Box Office as Word of Mouth Sinks Jessica Chastain’s Horror Hit

Horror has been one of the most reliable genres at the box office this year, with the category generating more than $1.1 billion domestically. That’s why the sudden fall of Jessica Chastain’s ‘Other Mommy’ is such a striking story. The Blumhouse chiller opened strong, then plunged so quickly in its second weekend that its bad word of mouth became impossible to ignore.

The film, a Universal release from director Rob Savage and producer James Wan, arrived with plenty of buzz and a clever hook. Now the numbers show how fast audience opinion can change when the reaction is this negative.

The film grossed about $2.6 million on its second Friday, dropping roughly 80% from its opening-day total of $12.6 million. That is a far steeper fall than comparable horror films posted at the same point. ‘The Black Phone’ dropped about 62%, ‘Long Legs’ about 62%, ‘The Exorcist: Believer’ about 68% and ‘Scream 5’ about 72%.

After Friday, the movie’s domestic total stood at around $39.1 million. Early estimates for the full second weekend put it near $7.8 million, a fall of roughly 72%, which would leave it with a running total of around $44 million and in third place behind ‘Street Fighter’ and ‘You Can See Everything’.

As I expected, terrible WOM at full swing against R-rated horror #OtherMommy starring #JessicaChastain at US #BoxOffice! The horror grossed just 2.6M on 2nd FRI, dropping shocking -80.4% from last FRI Opening Day (vs #TheBlackPhone 4M, -61.7%, #LongLegs 3.8M, -62.1%, #TheExorcistBeliever 3.8M, -67.9%, #Scream5’s 3.7M, -72.3%) It hits a 39.1M cume in the US. The biggest ace in Blumhouse’s sleeves is always keeping budget under control, and with a 19M production price tag not including marketing, #OtherMommy should have no trouble to make most of the investment back while still in theatres even if it crashes this weekend. Eyeing a 7M-9M 2nd 3-day weekend & a 75%-67% drop

— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) October 17, 2026

The collapse is even more dramatic given how well the film started. ‘Other Mommy’ earned $27.5 million from 3,365 theaters over October 9 to 11, well above the roughly $20 million Universal expected. It added another $17.7 million overseas for a global opening of about $45 million.

The movie’s marketing helped, with a creepy trailer that screened ahead of ‘The Odyssey’ and a premise that sold itself as accessible gateway horror. Chastain plays dual roles as a young girl’s real mother and the sinister entity that takes her face.

The trouble was visible almost immediately. Audiences gave the film a D+ CinemaScore, the lowest grade of its kind since 2024’s ‘Megalopolis’, and Rotten Tomatoes showed critics at around 17% to 19% with an audience score of 46%. Even on Columbus Day Monday, the film earned $2.9 million, a drop of about 54% from Sunday.

Reviewers described the movie as a collection of jump scares and half-baked mythology, while some praised Chastain’s commitment to the role. One analyst had expected a decline of at least 70% in the second weekend, and the early numbers have proved that prediction right.

‘Other Mommy’ is based on Josh Malerman’s novel ‘Incidents Around the House’, written by the author of ‘Bird Box’, with a screenplay by Nathan Elston of ‘Succession’. It follows a young girl named Bela, played by Arabella Olivia Clark, who forms a relationship with a creature in her home that looks uncannily like her mother.

The cast also includes Jay Duplass, Dichen Lachman, Arian Moayed and Karen Allen. The film runs 93 minutes and is rated R for bloody violence and language, which some reviewers said made it a poor fit for the family audience the marketing seemed to target.

Despite the nosedive, the movie is unlikely to be a financial disaster. It cost about $19 million to make before marketing, which means it should recoup much of its investment during its theatrical run, and Blumhouse’s ability to keep budgets low remains its biggest advantage. One analyst had projected a final total between $55 million and $60 million before the second-weekend drop, though the latest numbers may push that estimate lower.

Marketing costs haven’t been disclosed, so the final profit picture is still unclear. Even so, a $27.5 million opening against a $19 million budget gives the film a strong cushion.

New trailer for ‘OTHER MOMMY’, starring Jessica Chastain and Jessica Chastain. The film follows a young girl who is threatened by a sinister demon that looks exactly like her mother. In theaters on October 9. https://t.co/Xwu3FI6pYz

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 15, 2026

The film’s trajectory is a reminder that horror can be review-proof for one weekend, but not forever. The genre depends on strong openings, and a movie that disappoints viewers can lose ground quickly, especially when new releases like ‘Street Fighter’ and ‘Whalefall’ arrive to compete. The comparison to ‘Hereditary’, which also received a D+ CinemaScore but later became acclaimed, is a hopeful one for fans, though this film’s reviews suggest a different path.

For Chastain, whose horror credits include ‘Mama’ and ‘It Chapter Two’, the result is a setback after a promising start. Blumhouse also ends its 2026 slate on a softer note than the breakout success of ‘Obsession’.

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