Box Office: 'Other Mommy' Debuts at No. 1 with $12.6 Million

The box office momentum for horror films in 2026 shows no signs of slowing down, especially with the Halloween season fast approaching. Capitalizing on this seasonal enthusiasm, the supernatural and unnerving thriller 'Other Mommy' easily claimed the number one spot at the North American box office. Distributed by Universal Pictures and produced by the powerhouse team of Blumhouse and Atomic Monster, the movie generated an impressive $12.6 million from 3,365 theaters on its opening Friday alone.

This robust opening marks a fantastic start for the Jessica Chastain-led feature, particularly given its modest production budget of $18 million. Industry projections suggest that the film will easily cross the threshold to add roughly $28 million by the end of its opening weekend. Based on Josh Malerman's 2024 novel 'Incidents Around the House,' the plot revolves around a terrifying paranormal entity that assumes the appearance of a young girl's mother to haunt their family home.

In the film, Jessica Chastain pulls double duty by playing both Ursula, the real mother, and the terrifying titular 'Other Mommy' who looks identical to her. The supporting cast features Jay Duplass as Ursula's husband Russell and Arabella Olivia Clark as their daughter Bela, alongside recognizable names like Dichen Lachman, Arian Moayed, Karen Allen, and Sean Kaufman. The combination of strong source material, a recognizable star, and effective horror marketing has clearly resonated with audiences looking for seasonal scares.

Further down the box office chart, another major release made its debut on Friday. Aaron Sorkin's corporate drama 'The Social Reckoning' landed in fourth place, bringing in $2.15 million from 2,606 North American theaters. Current domestic projections put the film on track to gross around $6 million through the entirety of its opening weekend. Serving as a spiritual follow-up to the acclaimed 2010 film 'The Social Network,' which won four Oscars and grossed $224 million globally, this new project tackles the tumultuous corporate fallout of Facebook's 2021 leak.

Despite high expectations, 'The Social Reckoning' has faced a mixed critical reception since its premiere. Variety critic Guy Lodge described it as a diverting and clever examination, though noting it serves as a reminder that the original film remains Sorkin's finest and most unique writing achievement. The narrative tracks whistleblower Frances Haugen, played by Mikey Madison, alongside Jeremy Strong portraying Mark Zuckerberg and Jeremy Allen White stepping into the shoes of Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz. The cast also features strong supporting performances from Bill Burr, Betty Gilpin, and Billy Magnussen.

Elsewhere in the weekend box office standings, Amazon MGM's psycho-thriller 'Verity' secured the second-place position with a $4 million Friday gross. Adapted from Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel and starring Anne Hathaway, Josh Hartnett, and Dakota Johnson, 'Verity' is projected to finish the weekend with an additional $14.2 million, lifting its domestic total to a strong $56.6 million. Squeezed just ahead of 'The Social Reckoning' in third place was Columbia Pictures' 'Resident Evil,' which added another $2.32 million to its tally on Friday.

As the weekend concludes, the box office results highlight a diverse marketplace where both high-concept horror and prestige-adjacent corporate dramas can draw audiences. While 'Other Mommy' proves that horror remains a reliable financial engine for studios, the performance of 'The Social Reckoning' and holdovers like 'Verity' demonstrate that adult-targeted dramas and thrillers continue to capture significant viewer interest. Studios will likely monitor these numbers closely as the lucrative autumn theatrical window progresses toward the year-end holidays.