The Other Mommy box office opening just got a lot more interesting: Jessica Chastain’s horror film earned $12.6 million on Friday, October 9, and is now projected to finish its first weekend at about $28 million, according to figures reported by Yahoo and Hollywood Outbreak. That is well above most pre-weekend projections and against a reported $18 million budget.
All weekend numbers below are Friday-based estimates. Final actuals arrive Monday, so treat every projection here as a moving target.
Other Mommy Box Office: What Friday Delivered
Other Mommy, from Universal and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, opened Friday in 3,365 theaters, per Hollywood Outbreak citing Variety. The film is directed by Rob Savage, stars Jessica Chastain, is rated R, and is based on Josh Malerman’s 2024 novel Incidents Around the House.
The $12.6 million Friday figure appears in a Yahoo headline. It likely includes Thursday preview money, which an earlier Variety report put at $3.6 million. That inclusion is likely but not confirmed, so the true “Friday-only” number could be closer to $9 million.
The Other Mommy box office weekend projection of about $28 million is a studio-side and press estimate, not a final count. Sunday is the day that settles it.
How the Projections Stacked Up
Before the weekend, Other Mommy box office forecasters were scattered. Here is where the main outlets stood, according to the reports we reviewed:
| Source | Pre-weekend projection |
|---|---|
| Deadline | About $20 million |
| Boxoffice Pro | $17 million to $22 million |
| TheWrap | $24 million (up to $30 million) |
| Box Office Theory | $31 million |
Other Mommy tracking had once been as high as $35 million, so the current estimate sits in the middle of the range of expectations. It beat most mainstream forecasts, but it did not top the most optimistic one.
For more on how those early numbers built up, see our look at the Thursday previews and projections and our earlier opening weekend forecast.
What the Other Mommy Box Office Means on an $18 Million Budget
A reported budget of $18 million is modest for a studio wide release. An opening near $28 million means the film could cover its reported production cost in a single weekend of domestic ticket sales.
That does not equal profit. Theaters keep a share of ticket revenue, and marketing costs are usually separate from the production budget. Neither figure is available for this film, so we cannot say how much profit it has made.
What the Other Mommy box office number does show is a healthy start for a low-budget horror release. Horror films often open big and then fall quickly, so the second weekend will say more than the first.
Why Blumhouse Needed This Opening
TheWrap framed the opening against a recent stretch for Blumhouse, citing the studio’s horror hits Obsession and Backrooms. The outlet also pointed to what it described as a “sudden loss of its ability to consistently bring in audiences for original high-concept horror.”
For comparison, TheWrap noted that Black Phone opened to $23.6 million. If the $28 million estimate holds, Other Mommy would top that opening, a notable result for the Other Mommy box office story.
What we do not know is how audiences will rate the film. We have no CinemaScore or audience score yet, and that will shape whether the Other Mommy box office run holds up in the coming weeks.
The Rest of the Weekend Chart
The Other Mommy box office story is not the only one, and several other releases are being tracked on Friday-based estimates.
- Verity (Amazon MGM): $4 million Friday, projected weekend of about $14.2 million. That is a drop of roughly 57% from its opening, which sources put at $32.6 million or $33.6 million. Projected domestic total is about $56.6 million. The film earned a C+ CinemaScore.
- Resident Evil (Sony): $2.32 million Friday, projected $8.2 million weekend. Projected domestic total is about $138.4 million, so it needs roughly $22 million more to reach $150 million.
- Heart of the Beast (Paramount): $1.96 million Friday, projected $6.91 million weekend.
Our earlier coverage of Verity’s second weekend flagged the C+ CinemaScore as a risk, and the steep projected drop fits that concern.
The Social Reckoning Stumbles Beside Other Mommy
The weaker story belongs to The Social Reckoning, the Sony sequel with Aaron Sorkin writing and Jeremy Strong starring. It earned $2.15 million Friday from 2,606 theaters and is projected to reach about $6 million for the weekend.
Pre-weekend projections were $6 million to $10 million, with TheWrap at about $8 million, so the estimate lands at the low end of the range. Box Office Watch reported a Rotten Tomatoes score of about 64%.
The original The Social Network opened to $22.4 million from 2,776 theaters in October 2010. Against that, a $6 million weekend is a steep fall. The sequel’s net budget is about $30 million, co-financed by Alcon, per the reports. Our earlier piece on the Social Reckoning opening forecast had already warned that tracking was soft.
What to Watch Sunday and Monday
Monday, October 12, is a federal holiday, so Sunday estimates may carry a boost from families and adults with a day off. That could nudge the Other Mommy box office estimate up or down relative to Friday-based projections. Studios will release Sunday estimates in the morning, followed by actuals on Monday.
Here is what to track:
- Saturday and Sunday drops. A steep Saturday fall suggests a front-loaded, fan-driven opening.
- Audience scores. Strong word of mouth helps horror films hold up in week two.
- Monday holiday numbers. A solid Monday would help the five-day picture.
- Actuals versus estimates. Weekend estimates can move by a few million dollars.
Looking ahead to next weekend, the arrival is Paramount’s Street Fighter, tracking at $26 million to $36 million, along with Whalefall at $10 million to $15 million. A Street Fighter opening in that range would likely take the top spot from Other Mommy, based on current numbers, which makes the film’s staying power the key test.
That means the Other Mommy box office second weekend faces a crowded field, and a typical horror drop would put it well below its opening. We will update our coverage when the actuals arrive.
How to Read Other Mommy Box Office Estimates
Weekend figures reported on Saturday and Sunday are not final counts. Studios publish estimates based on partial data, and the real totals typically land within a few percent of them once theaters report.
Friday-based projections are even looser. Analysts take the Friday number, including any previews, and apply a typical Saturday and Sunday pattern for the genre. Horror often skews toward Friday and Saturday evenings, which is why a Friday multiple can overshoot or undershoot.
Three details change how much weight to give a number. First, whether previews are included. Second, whether the outlet is quoting a studio estimate or its own model. Third, whether the figure is domestic only. Sources can also differ, as with Verity’s opening weekend, which was reported at $32.6 million by some outlets and $33.6 million by others.
When you compare outlets, a gap of a few million dollars on a $28 million estimate is normal. A gap of ten million is a sign that someone is working from different assumptions.
The Other Mommy box office had a stronger Friday than most forecasters expected, Verity is sliding, and The Social Reckoning is struggling. That sums up a weekend where a modestly priced horror film is the clear winner.
Your takeaway: check Sunday estimates for the trend, wait for Monday actuals for the truth, and judge Other Mommy by its second weekend rather than its first. If you plan to see a film, book early, since horror releases often sell out evening shows on opening weekends.
Come back Monday for final numbers. Until then, remember that all figures here are estimates, and that box office data is not investment or financial advice. Stay tuned to USA One News for updates on the weekend results.
Sources: Hollywood Outbreak, TheWrap, Box Office Watch.
