‘Other Mommy’ Scares Up Nice Opening Day While ‘The Social Reckoning’ Struggles to Find an Audience
October is traditionally a strong month for horror, and 2026 has been no exception. A string of genre hits has kept moviegoers returning to theaters, with ‘Obsession’ and ‘Backrooms’ setting the pace. Studios have been eager to extend that streak as Halloween approaches.
Universal and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster had a clear opening on the calendar for ‘Other Mommy‘. The film arrived three weeks before Halloween with Jessica Chastain in a dual role and a modest budget of about $18 million. Meanwhile, Sony countered with a very different kind of film, Aaron Sorkin’s drama ‘The Social Reckoning’.
The first numbers are in, and they show a lopsided race. ‘Other Mommy’ took in $12.6 million on Friday from 3,365 North American theaters, including Thursday previews, easily claiming the top spot. That is a strong start for a film that was projected to open with $20 million or more over the full weekend.
Estimates now put ‘Other Mommy’ on track for around $28 million by Sunday. That would beat the studio’s own projection and mark a solid win for a film made on a lean budget. It also gives Universal and Blumhouse another October horror opener to point to.
The picture looks very different for ‘The Social Reckoning’. The film debuted to $2.15 million on Friday from 2,606 theaters, landing in fourth place for the day. That puts it on pace for roughly $6 million over the weekend, below the $7 million to $8 million Variety had projected earlier this week.
The comparison to its predecessor is stark. ‘The Social Network’ earned $22.4 million in its opening weekend in 2010, so the new film is expected to open at less than a third of that figure before adjusting for inflation. Sony has pitched the movie as a companion piece rather than a direct sequel, and neither David Fincher nor Jesse Eisenberg returned.
Several factors appear to be working against it. Adult dramas have had a hard time drawing crowds since the pandemic, and the film’s subject matter, an examination of Facebook, is a tougher sell than a popcorn horror. Reviews have been mixed, which has not helped.
The film tells the true story of Frances Haugen, played by Mikey Madison, who enlists Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, played by Jeremy Allen White, to blow the whistle on the platform. Jeremy Strong takes over as Mark Zuckerberg. Despite the cast and Sorkin’s pedigree, audiences have not turned out in large numbers.
Even with the strong Friday, the news for ‘Other Mommy’ is not entirely positive. The film has a 19% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and a D+ CinemaScore from audiences. That kind of word of mouth often leads to steep drops after opening weekend.
Analysts have warned that the film could fall sharply in its second weekend, which would limit its overall total. Still, with a budget under $20 million, it is expected to clear its break-even point over the course of its run. For now, a front-loaded opening may be enough to make it a financial success.
OTHER MOMMY is now playing in theaters. A young girl forms a relationship with a sinister entity in her home who looks uncannily like her own mother. Jessica Chastain stars. https://t.co/9mSWbSKewL
— The Horror Calendar (@HorrorCalendar) October 8, 2026
The rest of the chart shows a quiet weekend overall. ‘Verity’, the Colleen Hoover adaptation starring Anne Hathaway, is holding up in its second weekend and is expected to place second. Last weekend’s release ‘Digger’, a Tom Cruise film, failed to bring out older audiences and has already faded from the conversation.
Sony has some cushion from the success of ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’, which means it can absorb a loss on ‘The Social Reckoning’. Still, a soft debut is a disappointing outcome for a film that was once viewed as a potential awards contender. For Universal, the weekend proves that horror remains the most reliable draw in theaters.
Which movie would you rather watch in theaters this weekend?
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!
