Other Mommy is poised to take control of the North American box office, with Universal Pictures’ horror release heading toward an estimated $28 million opening weekend.

Director Rob Savage’s film earned $12.6 million on Friday, a figure that includes Thursday previews, after arriving in 3,200 theaters. That projected result would put it comfortably above Universal’s initial $20 million expectation for the movie, which carries a reported $19 million budget.

Jessica Chastain stars as a sinister entity that appears in a young girl’s closet. Despite the strong start, early audience and critical responses suggest the film could face challenges after its debut.

Other Mommy received a D+ CinemaScore, the lowest grade awarded to a film since Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis in September 2024. It also holds a 19 percent approval rating from critics and a 46 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The Hollywood Reporter critic Richard Lawson described the movie as “an attractive but mostly vacuous collection of jumpy bits and half-baked mythology.”

The Social Reckoning Opens Below Expectations

Sony Pictures’ The Social Reckoning is headed for a considerably quieter launch. The fact-based thriller collected $2.1 million on Friday, including Thursday previews, and is projected to open with roughly $6 million from 2,606 North American locations.

That would place the debut slightly below Sony’s anticipated $7 million opening. The Aaron Sorkin-directed film has a $30 million budget and stars Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong.

The story follows a Facebook employee, played by Madison, who works with a journalist portrayed by White to uncover concerning information about the company. Strong plays an older Mark Zuckerberg.

The movie is a companion piece to 2010’s The Social Network, which was directed by David Fincher and written by Sorkin. Sorkin won an Academy Award for that screenplay and takes over directing duties for the new film.

Starring Jesse Eisenberg as Zuckerberg, The Social Network focused on Facebook’s early years. It opened at No. 1 with $22.4 million in October 2010 and ultimately earned $224 million worldwide.

The earlier movie has a 96 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, while critical reaction to The Social Reckoning has been more divided. The new film currently stands at 54 percent approval among reviewers and 71 percent among audiences. Chief film critic David Rooney offered a more favorable assessment, calling it an “engrossing whistleblower thriller.”

Holdovers Battle for the Remaining Spots

Amazon MGM Studios’ Verity, which topped the box office last weekend, is expected to move into second place with approximately $12.5 million. That would represent a decline of about 61 percent in its second weekend and lift its domestic total to $54.8 million.

Michael Showalter directed the Colleen Hoover adaptation, which stars Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett. The thriller centers on a woman who finds herself in over her head after accepting a ghostwriting assignment.

Sony’s Resident Evil is targeting $8.2 million in its fourth weekend, taking its estimated domestic total to $138.3 million. Austin Abrams stars in Zach Cregger’s reboot of the franchise based on the video game property.

Paramount’s Heart of the Beast is projected to add $6.7 million in weekend three, bringing its domestic haul to $49.3 million. David Ayer’s thriller features Brad Pitt as a Special Forces officer attempting to navigate the wilderness alongside his combat dog.

Specialty Releases Enter the Market

Several titles also began more limited theatrical runs. A24 opened Chris Rock’s Misty Green in six New York and Los Angeles locations, where it earned $27,000 on Friday. Rosalind Eleazar, Adam Driver and Daniel Kaluuya star. Rooney described the film as “the work of a mature director who knows what he wants to say.”

Alex Gibney’s Elon Musk-focused documentary Musk collected $28,000 from four screens on Friday. The title is being released by Bleecker Street.

The documentary NAZA earned $85,000 on Friday from 72 North American locations. The film examines Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The Israeli-American Council organized a protest Friday outside the Laemmle NoHo 7 in North Hollywood to coincide with a screening.

ShowBiz Take

Other Mommy has delivered the weekend’s clearest surprise by tracking about $8 million above Universal’s original projection and potentially opening well ahead of its reported production budget. The sharp contrast between that commercial start and the movie’s weak CinemaScore and Rotten Tomatoes results will make its performance beyond opening weekend particularly significant.

Meanwhile, The Social Reckoning illustrates the difficulty of matching the theatrical impact of its predecessor. Its projected $6 million debut is far removed from The Social Network’s $22.4 million opening, even as audience ratings for the new film remain stronger than its critical score. For now, however, the weekend belongs to Other Mommy.