Universal Pictures and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster release Other Mommy, a supernatural thriller starring Jessica Chastain, led the North American box office with an estimated $28 million opening weekend, overcoming harsh critical reviews and a soft D+ CinemaScore after debuting across 3,365 theaters.
The viral pre-Halloween horror campaign for Other Mommy translated into immediate ticket sales as the feature secured the top spot at the box office. Universal released the horror film exclusively attached to theatrical screenings of The Odyssey after viral trailers generated over 30 million views on YouTube and meme-driven social media attention. Early earnings included $3.6 million from Thursday preview screenings, propelling the production toward an anticipated $28 million three-day weekend on an $18 million budget.
Resident Evil and Facebook Whistleblower Film Hold Rankings
While Other Mommy claimed the leading position, several holdover titles and new competitors populated the weekend box office charts. Sony Pictures’ Resident Evil held third place in its fourth week on 3,085 screens with a Friday gross around $2.3 million and an estimated cumulative total of $138.4 million.
Directed by Aaron Sorkin as a follow-up to 2010’s The Social Network, the film took in $650K from Thursday previews across 2,368 locations and earned $2.15 million on Friday toward a projected $6 million three-day weekend across 2,606 locations. The film follows Facebook’s 2021 whistleblower disclosures involving Frances Haugen. Other top-ten titles included A24’s Primetime and Digger from Warner Bros.
Critical Reception and Dual Roles
Directed by Rob Savage and written by Nathan Elston based on Josh Malerman’s 2024 novel Incidents Around the House, Other Mommy follows a young girl named Bela, played by Arabella Olivia Clark, who is haunted by a demonic entity that takes the form of her mother. Jessica Chastain plays the dual role of Ursula, the real mother, and the titular supernatural double. The film’s critical reception was sharply divided, debuting with an 18 percent positive rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes alongside a D+ CinemaScore and a 47 percent PostTrak score in the top two boxes.
Production companies for the project include Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Atomic Monster. The behind-the-scenes crew features director of photography Lowell A. Meyer, production designer Jeremy Woodward, editors Peter Gvozdas and John Cutler, music composer Patrick Jonsson, and sound designer and supervising sound editor Dan Kenyon. Running at 93 minutes, the picture incorporates practical makeup and digital effects to bring the eerie doppelganger to life.
“With wide, unblinking eyes and a rictus grin that would be right at home in the Smile franchise, the Oscar-winning actress proves a demented figure of parental adoration run amok, and though Rob Savage’s film cares little for reason, its unbridled rollercoaster momentum and hallucinatory haunted-house energy make it a thriller fit for a Friday night out at the multiplex with friends.”
The Daily Beast
Reviewers noted tonal inconsistencies and derivative plot elements reminiscent of prior horror films such as Coraline. Critics highlighted a fast-paced narrative involving marital friction between Ursula and her husband Russell, played by Jay Duplass, alongside an affair with their friend Frank, played by Arian Moayed. Additional cast members include Karen Allen, Dichen Lachman, and Sean Kaufman.
Audience Demographics and Regional Performance
Box office tracking indicated that Other Mommy played strongest across the West, South, and South Central United States. AMC Burbank in Los Angeles served as the leading grossing location. Despite soft critical notices and mixed exit polling—including a 33 percent definite recommend rating—early ticket sales demonstrated robust momentum leading into the Halloween corridor.
