Other Mommy Opens With $12.6 Million, Eyes $28 Million Weekend

Q: What terrifying anti-mommy twist propelled a disturbing body horror film to dominate the 2026 box office over massive established franchises?

It was the “anti-mommy” hook of **“Other Mommy”**: a body-horror supernatural thriller in which Jessica Chastain plays both a real mother, Ursula, and a grotesque doppelgänger that preys on her daughter and tries to get “into her heart.” That disturbing inversion of maternal safety appears to be what helped the film break out. Based on Josh Malerman’s *Incidents Around the House*, the movie centers on young Bela being haunted by a mother-lookalike entity that is both familiar and monstrous. Reviews and promotional coverage repeatedly pointed to its unnerving “anti-mommy” reveal, creepy smile imagery, and escalating body horror as the movie’s defining selling points. The concept was amplified by a viral trailer that leaned into twisted maternal imagery and grotesque physical transformations. Industry coverage described the campaign as especially effective at making the film feel unavoidable, with meme-ready shots and strong online reaction helping turn a relatively modest $18 million production into the weekend’s top opener. That was enough to push **“Other Mommy”** to No. 1 on Friday with **$12.6 million** and a projected **$28 million** opening weekend, beating higher-profile titles including **“Verity,” “Resident Evil,”** and **“The Social Reckoning.”** In short, the film won not through franchise scale, but through a simple and potent horror idea: turning “mom” into the monster.

3 articles · Updated · Variety · Oct 10

$12.6 million from 3,365 North American theaters put Universal's "Other Mommy" atop Friday's box office, with the Jessica Chastain-led horror film projected to reach $28 million by Sunday.
Halloween-season demand and 2026's strong horror run helped fuel the launch of the Blumhouse-Atomic Monster release, which was made for $18 million and is based on Josh Malerman's 2024 novel.
$4 million on Friday put Amazon MGM's "Verity" in second, heading for a $14.2 million weekend and $56.6 million domestic total, while "Resident Evil" took third with $2.32 million Friday and targets $138.37 million cumulative.
$2.15 million on Friday left Aaron Sorkin's "The Social Reckoning" in fourth and on pace for a $6 million debut after mixed reviews, with Paramount's "The Heart of the Beast" fifth and aiming for $49.47 million domestic.