Other Mommy tops North American box office with $27.5 million
Universal Pictures reported Jessica Chastain led the North American weekend movie charts. Her supernatural horror film generated $27.5 million in domestic ticket sales across 3,365 theaters. That turnout delivered a solid domestic debut despite receiving poor feedback from ticket buyers.
The film features a creature that terrorizes a young girl who believes it is her mother. The project received a D+ CinemaScore. That grade matched past audience scores for “Megalopolis” and “Hereditary.”
Production costs ran near $19 million for producer Blumhouse Atomic Monster. The company previously made “Backrooms” and “Obsession.” An additional 50 international territories lifted the worldwide total to $45.2 million.
Domestic distribution head Jim Orr said ticket buyers were split evenly by gender. He noted about two-thirds of customers were between 18 and 34 years old.
“No matter how you look at it, everybody turned out for it. It wasn’t just one particular demographic,” Orr said. “That usually is a very good sign.”
Writer and director Aaron Sorkin saw his new release, “The Social Reckoning,” earn $5.5 million. It played in 2,606 North American cinemas for distributor Sony Pictures.
The drama depicts a Facebook whistleblower leaking documents to a Wall Street Journal reporter. It stars Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong. Audiences gave the film a B- CinemaScore.
Reports state production expenses were around $30 million before marketing costs. Sorkin wrote “The Social Network” 16 years ago. That earlier drama opened above $22 million and reached $224 million globally.
Rentrak market analyst Paul Dergarabedian said studios routinely take theatrical chances in October.
“These movies that are topical in nature, sometimes they resonate with the culture, sometimes they don’t,” said Dergarabedian. “You don’t always know what’s going to connect with audiences.”
Dergarabedian compared the opening to “Digger.” That movie dropped 60 percent during its second frame. “Digger” took eighth place this weekend with $3.2 million.
Psychological thriller “Verity,” starring Anne Hathaway, finished second with $11.5 million. It fell 64 percent. “Resident Evil” took third place with $8.4 million, pushing its domestic earnings to $138.5 million.
Survival thriller “Heart of the Beast,” starring Brad Pitt, placed fourth with $7.1 million. Other titles rounded out the lower half of the domestic sales list:
- “Forgotten Island,” $4.5 million.
- “Primetime,” $4 million.
- “Angel and the Badman,” $2.1 million.
Director Christopher Nolan saw “The Odyssey” finish tenth with $2 million from 560 North American theaters. It played in 12 IMAX 70 mm locations during its 13th weekend. The film has gathered nearly $623 million domestically.
Smaller specialized films also entered the marketplace. Palme d’Or winner “Fjord” took $124,000 from four screens. Director Alex Gibney saw his four-hour documentary “Musk” make $68,900 across four cinemas.
Actor Chris Rock saw his film “Misty Green” collect $85,716 from six cinemas through Sunday. The domestic theatrical market reached $8 billion on Friday.
Studio distribution departments release initial ticket sale projections on Sunday mornings. Final validated receipts appear on Monday after weekend cash registers reconcile across cinemas.
Rentrak tallies box office grosses from movie houses across North America every week. The firm noted total revenue sits 19 percent above last year.
