Jessica Chastain’s horror film just beat its own forecast by a wide margin. The Other Mommy opening weekend came in at an estimated $27.5 million from 3,365 theaters, good for No. 1 and well above pre-weekend projections of roughly $20 million, according to Sunday estimates reported by the Associated Press.
The catch: audiences gave it a D+ CinemaScore, and critics are far less kind. That sets up a real question for next weekend.
Other Mommy Opening Weekend: The Numbers
Other Mommy, from Universal and Blumhouse’s Atomic Monster, stars Jessica Chastain and was directed by Rob Savage. It is rated R. Its estimated $27.5 million domestic debut beat forecasts that had been closer to $20 million, AP reported via U.S. News.
Friday set the tone. As we covered in our Friday box office report, the film took in $12.6 million on its first day, ahead of expectations. Our earlier opening weekend forecast had a range of $15M to $29M, so the final estimate landed in the upper half.
Overseas, weekend coverage and iHorror reported a global opening of $45.2 million across 50 international markets. That figure includes the domestic estimate.
These are Sunday estimates. Studios release actual figures on Monday, and they can shift slightly, especially on a holiday weekend.
Who Showed Up
Universal’s Jim Orr told the AP the crowd was broad: “It wasn’t just one particular demographic.” According to the reporting, the audience split evenly by gender, and about two-thirds were between 18 and 34.
That matters for horror. Young, mixed-gender crowds are what fuel word-of-mouth and group outings, the kind of attendance that helps a scary movie travel. It also means the opening was not driven by a single niche.
Other Mommy Opening Weekend: D+ CinemaScore and the Second-Weekend Question
CinemaScore grades come from moviegoers polled on opening night. Other Mommy earned a D+, according to iHorror, the same grade given to Hereditary and Megalopolis. A CinemaScore reflects opening-night fans only, so it is one signal among several rather than a final verdict.
Rotten Tomatoes is also split. Critics sit at 20%, while the audience score is 47%, per the reporting.
Horror is a front-loaded genre. Fans rush to opening weekend, and a poor audience grade can speed up the drop afterward. A weak grade does not guarantee a collapse, but it is the main reason the Other Mommy opening weekend comes with an asterisk. Our Verity second weekend forecast looked at the same issue for another thriller carrying a mediocre grade, and Verity fell 64% this weekend.
What is not yet known: how steep Other Mommy’s second-weekend decline will be, and whether the 18-34 crowd will recommend it or warn friends away.
Other Mommy Budget vs. Box Office: The Math
Reported production budget is about $19 million, up slightly from the $18 million some earlier reports cited. Against that number, the film’s $27.5 million domestic opening already exceeds its cost, and the $45.2 million global opening is more than double it.
A word of caution on what that means. Theaters keep a share of ticket sales, and studios also spend heavily on marketing, which is typically not included in the production budget. So an opening above budget is a strong start, not proof of profit. Marketing costs for this film were not provided in the sources we reviewed.
Still, a modest-budget horror release that opens at No. 1 is the kind of result studios want. Even a steep drop would leave the film with a solid cushion.
Why the Beat Matters
Forecasts exist to set expectations, and studios, theater owners and analysts all lean on them. When a film lands about $7.5 million above a roughly $20 million projection, it signals that late buzz or walk-up business was stronger than tracking captured. Friday’s $12.6 million was the first hint, since it came in ahead of what many expected for a day that includes Thursday-night previews.
That said, the sources we reviewed do not explain exactly why the film outperformed. Possible factors include the strength of Jessica Chastain’s draw, a lack of direct horror competition, and a long holiday weekend, but none of these is confirmed. We are flagging them as possibilities, not findings.
It is also worth noting the film opened wide. A 3,365-theater footprint gives a movie plenty of room to reach its core audience in one weekend, which can inflate opening numbers relative to later weeks.
Other Mommy Opening Weekend vs. the Full Box Office Chart
All figures below are Sunday estimates from the reports cited.
| Rank | Film | Weekend (est.) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Other Mommy | $27.5M | Opening weekend, 3,365 theaters |
| 2 | Verity | $11.4M to $11.5M | Second weekend, down 64% |
| 3 | Resident Evil | $8.3M to $8.4M | $138.5M domestic total |
| 4 | Heart of the Beast | $7.1M | Third weekend |
| 5 | The Social Reckoning | $5.5M | Opening weekend |
| 6 | Forgotten Island | $4.5M | |
| 7 | Primetime | $4M | |
| 8 | Digger | $3.2M | Fell from an $8M opening |
| 9 (tie) | Angel and the Badman | $2M | |
| 9 (tie) | The Odyssey | $2M |
Two stories sit beneath the headline. Sony’s Aaron Sorkin sequel, The Social Reckoning, opened fifth, below the $6M to $10M range we previewed in our Social Reckoning forecast. And Tom Cruise’s Digger dropped to $3.2 million after its $8 million debut, as covered in our Digger box office report.
How Horror Openings Usually Play Out
As general background, horror films tend to open big and fade quickly compared with other genres, because the most eager fans buy tickets right away. A film with strong word of mouth can break that pattern, while a film with a poor audience grade often sees a larger drop.
That is why the gap between the $27.5 million opening and the D+ grade is the central tension. If audiences are split, the second weekend will show whether the film holds a loyal base or burns out. For now, nobody outside the studio can say which way it will go.
Universal also has a hedge in the global number. With $45.2 million worldwide from 50 overseas markets, the film has a revenue path that does not depend only on U.S. theaters. The overseas breakdown by country was not available in the reports we reviewed.
The Bigger Picture for 2026
The wider market is healthy. iHorror reported that domestic ticket sales have topped $8 billion for the year, running more than 19% ahead of last year and about 8% behind 2019, the last full pre-pandemic benchmark. Horror has been a reliable engine for that recovery, since it tends to draw younger audiences at modest budgets.
Monday is also a holiday, which can lift weekday numbers for family and teen-friendly titles. Holiday-boosted Monday figures can make a film look steadier than it will be once school and work resume.
What to Watch Next Weekend
The competition gets tougher. Paramount’s Street Fighter is tracking for $26 million to $36 million, and Whalefall is projected at $10 million to $15 million, based on earlier tracking. Those are forecasts, and they can move.
Here is a short checklist for following Other Mommy:
- Monday actuals. Check whether the $27.5M estimate holds.
- Weekday holds. Tuesday through Thursday numbers are the first read on word of mouth.
- Second-weekend drop. Horror titles often fall hard; a smaller-than-expected decline would be a good sign.
- International growth. The $45.2M global opening leaves room for the overseas total to climb.
- Street Fighter’s debut. A big opening for Paramount could squeeze Other Mommy’s screens.
The Takeaway
The Other Mommy opening weekend was a clear win on the scoreboard: No. 1, ahead of forecasts, and well above a roughly $19 million budget. The warning signs are the D+ CinemaScore and the 20% critics score. If you are deciding what to see, the audience split suggests it is a divisive movie, so check reviews that match your taste in horror. If you follow box office, watch Monday actuals and Friday’s second-weekend tracking, and stay tuned to usaneonews.com for updates. Box office figures here are estimates and are not investment advice.
