Jessica Chastain’s supernatural horror film “Other Mommy” is scaring up big business at the box office this weekend, while Aaron Sorkin’s “The Social Reckoning” is stumbling out of the gate.
“Other Mommy,” released by Universal and Blumhouse and directed by Rob Savage, opened October 9 with $3.6 million in preview screenings. The film — based on Josh Malerman’s novel “Incidents Around the House,” with Chastain in a dual role — is projected to pull in around $20 million for its opening weekend, according to industry estimates.
By contrast, Sorkin’s “The Social Reckoning,” the long-awaited sequel to “The Social Network” starring Jeremy Strong as Mark Zuckerberg, is tracking for a soft $7-8 million debut, according to reports.
The horror film’s strong start comes as pre-Halloween demand for scares traditionally lifts the box office through October. Meanwhile, the adult drama “Verity” is holding well, tracking $13-15 million in its second weekend.
The weekend’s results continue a familiar pattern at the fall box office: horror reliably draws crowds in the weeks before Halloween, while prestige dramas face a tougher road with moviegoers.
