'The Social Reckoning' fails to impress
What's the story
The horror film Other Mommy, featuring Jessica Chastain as a sinister doppelganger, debuted at the top of the North American box office with $27.5 million. Despite its poor reviews, 19% on Rotten Tomatoes and a "D+" CinemaScore, the Universal and Blumhouse production exceeded expectations financially against an $18 million budget. This was more than enough to beat Sony's biggie The Social Reckoning, which opened in fifth place with just $5.5 million.
Box office struggles
'Other Mommy' expected to see significant drop in business
Other Mommy has grossed $17.69 million internationally, taking its worldwide total to $45.19 million so far.
Despite its initial success, Other Mommy is expected to see a significant drop in business due to its negative reviews.
"Horror movies are generally immune to a negative reception, but this is extreme," said analyst David A. Gross, per Variety.
The Social Reckoning also faces an uphill battle with poor word-of-mouth and disappointing opening projections of $7-8 million.
Sequel struggles
'The Social Reckoning' struggles to gain momentum
The Social Reckoning, written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, is a follow-up to the critically acclaimed The Social Network. However, it opened with just $5.5 million in North America, far less than its predecessor's $22 million debut 16 years ago.
Critics and audiences gave mixed reviews for The Social Reckoning with a 54% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a lukewarm "B-" CinemaScore.
'Digger's decline
'Digger' continues to bomb at box office
Meanwhile, Digger, a Tom Cruise satire, has seen a 60% drop in its second weekend with just $3.2 million from 3,321 theaters.
The film has so far earned $14 million domestically and $35.3 million globally against a production cost of over $160 million. This makes it one of the biggest box office bombs ever with projected losses of $245 million theatrically.
Despite this disaster, Hollywood stars have been defending Digger and encouraging audiences to watch it in theaters.
Box office roundup
Other notable films from the weekend
Amazon MGM's Colleen Hoover adaptation Verity took second place with $11.4 million from 3,572 theaters, a steep 64% decline from its opening weekend.
Sony's Resident Evil reboot dropped to third place with $8.3 million in its fourth weekend, while Paramount's Brad Pitt-led Heart of the Beast rounded out the top five with $7.1 million from 3,365 theaters in its third frame.