Other Mommy tops the box office with $27.5 million as Sorkin's The Social Reckoning takes $5.5 million
Blumhouse and Universal's horror film Other Mommy debuted at No. 1 with $27.5 million, while Sony's The Social Reckoning grossed $5.5 million, below its projected $7 million to $8 million debut.
Opening weekend box office
Blumhouse and Universal's horror film Other Mommy took the No. 1 spot with $27.5 million, according to Variety. Sony's The Social Reckoning, a follow-up to The Social Network written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, grossed $5.5 million, below the $7 million to $8 million it had been projected to debut with. Other Mommy cost $18 million to make, which Variety says leaves the film well positioned financially. The Social Reckoning's budget is reported as $30 million by The Hollywood Reporter and as somewhere in a $30 million to $42 million range by The Verge, which called the film a flop. The Verge also compared the sequel's debut with the $22 million opening of The Social Network.
- Other Mommy
- 27.5 $ million
- The Social Reckoning
- 5.5 $ million
Reviews and audience response
Other Mommy received poor reviews and a D+ grade on CinemaScore, yet it debuted well above box office expectations. The Social Reckoning holds a 55% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and critics were mixed on a film in which a Facebook engineer played by Mikey Madison leaks internal documents to a reporter played by Jeremy Allen White. The Verge reported that the film has been widely trashed on social media. The Hollywood Reporter cited recent social media posts suggesting that audiences may not see stories about self-absorbed billionaires as escapist.
Rentrak's Paul Dergarabedian told The Hollywood Reporter that the subject matter has changed since 2010, when the original film was released. He said that combined with the mixed reviews, the sequel faces significant headwinds in an already competitive theatrical marketplace.
Quite frankly, Facebook was a much sexier subject in 2010.
Strong's Zuckerberg and the Chastain texts
Jeremy Strong plays Mark Zuckerberg in the sequel, and Sorkin told The New York Times that the actor treated his co-stars the way he imagines Zuckerberg would. Sorkin said he warned the other actors in Strong's scenes that he would not be hanging out with them at craft service or between takes.
And that's what happened. You cannot argue with the results.
The box office contrast also featured in a playful exchange between the two actors. On the night of Monday, 12 October, Jessica Chastain, who stars as a demonic mother in Other Mommy, shared texts with Strong on her Instagram Story. Strong sent her a Vulture headline reading 'Other Mommy Spanks The Social Reckoning at the Box Office', to which Chastain replied 'Omg'. Strong answered with a middle finger emoji and a kiss emoji, and Variety reports that the two longtime friends have no hard feelings.
