\n<\/p>\n
The Jessica Chastain horror \u201cOther Mommy\u201d<\/a> topped the North American box office this weekend with a bigger audience than expected, while \u201cThe Social Reckoning\u201d<\/a> got off to a lackluster start.<\/p>\n \u201cOther Mommy,\u201d released by Universal Pictures, earned $27.5 million in its first few days in 3,365 theaters, according to studio estimates on Sunday. The movie, about a sinister supernatural creature that terrorizes a young girl who thinks it’s her mother, got dismal reviews from both critics and audiences. It also joins the ranks of \u201cMegalopolis\u201d and \u201cHereditary\u201d with a D+ CinemaScore. <\/p>\n But with a production budget of around $19 million, it\u2019s also another win for the horror genre and producer Blumhouse Atomic Monster, which was behind \u201cBackrooms\u201d and \u201cObsession.\u201d<\/a> \u201cOther Mommy\u201d opened in 50 international markets as well, boosting its global debut to $45.2 million.<\/p>\n Jim Orr, Universal’s head of domestic distribution, noted that the audience gender divide was evenly split and about 2\/3 were between 18 and 34 years old. <\/p>\n \u201cNo matter how you look at it, everybody turned out for it. It wasn\u2019t just one particular demographic,\u201d Orr said. \u201cThat usually is a very good sign.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Social Reckoning,\u201d the weekend\u2019s other big release, was not as lucky, earning an estimated $5.5 million from 2,606 North American theaters. Aaron Sorkin<\/a> wrote and directed the film about a Facebook whistleblower who leaked incriminating documents to a Wall Street Journal reporter.<\/p>\n Sixteen years ago, \u201cThe Social Network,\u201d which Sorkin wrote and David Fincher directed, opened to over $22 million and went on to gross over $224 million worldwide, receiving eight Oscar nominations and winning three. A similar fate might be a stretch for \u201cThe Social Reckoning,\u201d which stars Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong and received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics. Audiences gave it a B- CinemaScore. According to reports, the Sony Pictures release cost around $30 million to produce, not accounting for marketing and promotion.<\/p>\n Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak\u2019s head of marketplace trends, said October is a time when studios take chances and it doesn\u2019t always work out.<\/p>\n \u201cThese movies that are topical in nature, sometimes they resonate with the culture, sometimes they don\u2019t,\u201d said Dergarabedian. \u201cYou don\u2019t always know what\u2019s going to connect with audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n He compared \u201cThe Social Reckoning\u201d to \u201cDigger,\u201d which fell 60% in its second weekend<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Social Reckoning\u201d opened behind several holdovers as well. The Anne Hathaway psychological thriller \u201cVerity\u201d<\/a> took second place with $11.5 million, down 64% from its opening weekend. In third place, \u201cResident Evil\u201d added $8.4 million, bringing its domestic total to $138.5 million. The Brad Pitt survival thriller \u201cHeart of the Beast\u201d took fourth with $7.1 million. <\/p>\n Christopher Nolan\u2019s \u201cThe Odyssey<\/a> \u201d also made an encore appearance in the top 10 in its 13th weekend in theaters where it was back in 12 IMAX 70 mm locations. It added $2 million from 560 North American theaters, bringing its domestic total just shy of $623 million.<\/p>\n Several high-profile films opened in limited release this weekend as well. The Cannes Palme d\u2019Or winner \u201cFjord\u201d<\/a> debuted on four screens this weekend where it made $124,000. Alex Gibney\u2019s Elon Musk documentary \u201cMusk,\u201d<\/a> which runs nearly four hours, made $68,900 from four locations. And Chris Rock\u2019s \u201cMisty Green\u201d made $85,716 from six locations through Sunday.<\/p>\n The annual domestic box office crossed the $8 billion mark on Friday and is up over 19% from last year. According to Rentrak, that\u2019s about 8% behind 2019.<\/p>\n With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak:<\/p>\n 1. \u201cOther Mommy,\u201d $27.5 million.<\/p>\n 2. \u201cVerity,\u201d $11.5 million.<\/p>\n 3. \u201cResident Evil,\u201d $8.4 million. <\/p>\n 4. \u201cHeart of the Beast,\u201d $7.1 million.<\/p>\n 5. \u201cThe Social Reckoning,\u201d $5.5 million.<\/p>\n 6. \u201cForgotten Island,\u201d $4.5 million. <\/p>\n 7. \u201cPrimetime,\u201d $4 million.<\/p>\n 8. \u201cDigger,\u201d $3.2 million.<\/p>\n 9. \u201cAngel and the Badman,\u201d $2.1 million. <\/p>\n 10. \u201cThe Odyssey,\u201d $2 million. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n