"Other Mommy," a horror film released by Universal Pictures, led the North American box office with an impressive opening, garnering $27.5 million across 3,365 theaters. The film, centered on a sinister creature that poses as a young girl’s mother, met with poor reviews from critics and audiences alike, securing a D+ CinemaScore. However, its production budget was approximately $19 million, suggesting it could prove financially successful. The film also premiered in 50 international markets, contributing to a total global debut of $45.2 million.
Jim Orr, Universal’s head of domestic distribution, highlighted the film’s broad audience appeal, noting an even gender split and a significant youth demographic, with roughly two-thirds of attendees between 18 and 34 years old.
In contrast, "The Social Reckoning," the weekend’s other major release, struggled at the box office, earning around $5.5 million from 2,606 theaters. This film, directed by Aaron Sorkin and focusing on a Facebook whistleblower, failed to match the success of its predecessor, "The Social Network," which opened to over $22 million in 2010. Mixed reviews and a B- CinemaScore reflected its lukewarm reception. The production cost was estimated at $30 million, excluding marketing expenses.
Despite the challenges faced by "The Social Reckoning," the overall box office showed strong performance, surpassing $8 billion for the year, with an increase of over 19% compared to the previous year, though remaining about 8% behind 2019 levels.
Why this story matters
Key takeaway
Opposing viewpoint
