‘Other Mommy,’ ‘Social Reckoning’ Struggle as Box Office Slows Down

Over the past two weekends, major new releases at the box office have struggled, leading overall estimates to fall below $90 million. Universal/Blumhouse-Atomic Monster's "Other Mommy" topped the charts this weekend, but it has received poor reviews from both critics and audiences, despite earning a $13 million opening day from 3,365 screens.

The film's low scores are reflected in its 20% critics and 47% audience Rotten Tomatoes ratings, as well as a D+ CinemaScore, the lowest grade CinemaScore has given a film since audiences gave Francis Ford Coppola's "Megalopolis" a D+ in September 2024. With a $19 million budget, "Other Mommy" is projected to reach an opening of $28 million and clear its break-even point by the end of its theatrical run.

However, its poor reception could dampen its legs and impact Saturday and Sunday attendance, potentially resulting in a Monday total closer to $20 million. This performance is a stark contrast to Sony/Columbia/Alcon's "The Social Reckoning," which has earned only $2.1 million from 2,606 locations over its opening weekend, totaling just $6 million.

This is less than one-third of the $22.4 million earned by its Oscar-winning predecessor, "The Social Network" in 2010, adjusted for inflation. Both "Digger" and "Social Reckoning" illustrate the challenge of attracting a wide moviegoing audience to films that deal with current events and political issues, joining other recent releases like the 2022 Harvey Weinstein journalism drama "She Said," which has also failed to capture audience attention.