Other Mommy landed the top spot at this weekend’s domestic box office with a $27.5 million debut, the only new release in the top five.

The new horror film stars Academy Award winner Jessica Chastain, who plays dual roles as a mother and her nightmarish look-alike. Box office predictors expected a strong underperformance after its abysmal critical reception, currently sitting at 16% on Rotten Tomatoes, a 39 Metacritic score, and a D+ Cinemascore. Even with these reviews, the film still earned more than any other film at the domestic box office this weekend. This performance shows the continued strength of the horror genre in movie theaters and the importance of releasing a film at the right time of year.

The only other film to achieve over $10 million at the domestic box office this weekend was Verity. At second place, the psychological thriller earned just under $11.5 million in its second weekend, a hefty 64% decline from its debut last week. That aside, the film has still managed to make almost $54 million dollars domestically in two weeks. With a $40 million budget and a worldwide gross of $113 million, Verity has already proven a financial success and an important capstone on Anne Hathaway’s banner year.

Chugging along through the wilderness at number three is Heart of the Beast. The Brad Pitt-helmed survival story made another $7.1 million this weekend, bringing its domestic total to $49.6 million. The film saw a modest 34.7% drop between its second and third weekend, indicating some continued audience interest, but not much. 

After previously landing in second place at the box office after three weeks, Resident Evil fell to number four this weekend. The Zach Cregger horror romp earned $5.8 million, bringing its domestic total to a solid $135.9 million. While it may not become Cregger’s most successful film at the domestic box office — Weapons (2025) made $151.5 million during its run — it is his most successful worldwide, earning $320.2 million. 

Rounding out the top five is DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island. The animated adventure made approximately $4.5 million in its third weekend of release, moving up a spot in the domestic charts. The film is taking full advantage of being the only wide-release option for kids/young adult animation.

Notably, the other major film released this weekend, The Social Reckoning, underperformed at the box office and missed the top five. The film stars Jeremy Strong, Jeremy Allen White, and Mikey Madison and chronicles a Facebook whistleblower who leaked sensitive documents to a Wall Street Journal reporter. Unlike Other Mommy, The Social Reckoning was not able to overcome a mixed-to-negative critical response. The adult drama made just over $4 million this weekend, ending at seventh place domestically. 

Sources: Box Office Mojo and Variety

Update Courtesy of Gabe Lillianthal

Feature image credit to Universal Pictures