Other Mommy scares up $28 million to lead North American box office
Universal Pictures' horror film Other Mommy is heading for an opening weekend of around $28 million in North America, putting it top of the domestic box office, domestic meaning the United States and Canada.
The film took US$12.6 million on Friday, 9 October, in North America including Thursday previews, according to studio figures reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Those weekend projections are early estimates based on Friday sales. Studios issue estimates on Sunday with final actuals on Monday. Horror won the weekend.
Other Mommy opened in 3,200 North American theatres for the 9-11 October weekend. It is directed by Rob Savage and stars Jessica Chastain with Dichen Lachman co-starring. The production budget was US$19 million. Thursday previews alone brought US$3.6 million, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
The start is above pre-release forecasts. Boxoffice Pro had predicted a US$17 million to US$22 million opening range, while Variety had pointed to upwards of US$22 million, according to Boxoffice Pro and Variety.
Opening-night audiences gave the film a D+ CinemaScore, an exit poll that asks cinema-goers to grade a film from A+ to F. It holds a 19 percent approval rating from reviewers and a 46 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, a site that aggregates reviews into a percentage of positive notices.
In second place, Sony Pictures' The Social Reckoning earned US$2.1 million on Friday including Thursday previews and is projected to open to roughly US$6 million, according to studio figures reported by The Hollywood Reporter. That is below the studio's earlier projection of around US$7 million reported on 8 October. The film played in 2,606 North American locations and cost US$30 million to make.
The Social Reckoning is directed by Aaron Sorkin and stars Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong, with Strong portraying an older Mark Zuckerberg. It holds a 54 percent approval from reviewers and a 71 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Elsewhere, A24's Misty Green earned US$27,000 on Friday from six locations in New York and Los Angeles in a limited release.
What makes this stand out is the split between tickets and reaction. Other Mommy is leading by a clear margin while carrying the softest audience and review scores among the new releases. For fans checking listings, the numbers explain what will be on the most screens this week.
