Jessica Chastain's 'Other Mommy' Eyes $27M Opening Despite 17% Rotten Tomatoes Score

A 17% score on Rotten Tomatoes and reviews that Universal never invited U.S. press to write in the first place — none of it appears to matter much for 'Other Mommy.' The Jessica Chastain horror film earned $3.6 million in Thursday previews across 2,850 domestic screens and is tracking toward a $27.5 million opening weekend on 3,365 screens, according to Deadline, enough to top the domestic box office.

The contrast with the weekend's other wide release is stark. Aaron Sorkin's 'The Social Reckoning' — a spiritual sequel to 'The Social Network' — took in roughly $650,000 from Thursday previews and is projecting a $4 million to $5 million opening weekend, according to World of Reel, against a $40 million budget.

Directed by Rob Savage and produced by Blumhouse-Atomic Monster for Universal Pictures, 'Other Mommy' adapts Josh Malerman's novel 'Incidents Around the House.' Chastain plays dual roles: an 8-year-old girl's mother and the closet-dwelling entity that wears her face. Savage has said the film contains roughly 50 jump scares.

Universal's decision not to screen the film for U.S. press before release is now visible in the numbers: once reviews opened, the film landed at 17% on Rotten Tomatoes, according to World of Reel, which also noted that early audience reception has not been significantly warmer and flagged the possibility of a 70% drop in its second weekend.

Even a steep fall-off may not threaten the film's profitability. With a reported budget of just $19 million, World of Reel notes that even a domestic total around $60 million would likely put Universal and Blumhouse/Atomic Monster in the black — a dynamic that has defined the low-budget horror model for years.

Much of the credit for the opening goes to the trailer. According to World of Reel, Universal attached it to Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' over the summer, where an image of Chastain contorted beneath a kitchen counter spread widely online. The outlet drew a direct parallel to Universal's 2023 strategy of placing the 'Exorcist: Believer' trailer in front of 'Oppenheimer.'

'Other Mommy' is also riding a broader 2026 horror wave. Variety notes that 'Obsession' and 'Backrooms' have already made the year a strong one for the genre at the domestic box office.

For 'The Social Reckoning,' the numbers represent a difficult debut for a prestige project. The film sits at 59% on Rotten Tomatoes, according to World of Reel, and is projected to compete for fifth place on the weekend chart with 'Digger,' which earned $8 million in its opening weekend and is expected to earn roughly half that in its second frame.

Why it matters — The weekend shows how a low-budget horror film with a viral marketing moment can outperform critical reception, while a well-reviewed prestige drama with a bigger budget struggles to find an audience — a split that shapes what studios greenlight next.

Sources differ on 'Other Mommy' projected opening weekend gross: $22M–$28M (variety.com) vs $27.5M (deadline.com) vs $30M+ (worldofreel.com)

Reported by variety.com, deadline.com, worldofreel.com, forbes.com