‘Other Mommy’ Box Office: Columbus Day Boost Not Enough as Bad Word of Mouth Hits

A holiday Monday typically serves as a boon for horror films. With schools closed and theaters bustling with teens, a successful movie can mitigate its first significant weekday drop. While ‘Other Mommy’ received that boost, it wasn’t as substantial as it could have been under more favorable conditions.

Jessica Chastain’s R-rated horror flick maintained its position at number 1 on Columbus Day, raking in $2.9 million on the holiday. This figure represents a 54.4% decline from Sunday, a sharper drop compared to several recent horror hits on similar days. Its domestic total now stands at $30.7 million after four days in theaters.

The comparisons are telling. Box office analysts noted that ‘Scream 5’ garnered $3.8 million on its holiday Monday, down 40.6%, while ‘The Black Phone’ earned $3.1 million, down 47.8%, and ‘Long Legs’ brought in $2.7 million, down 48.5%. Only ‘The Exorcist: Believer’, which made $2.4 million and fell 57.8%, had a steeper drop. This trend indicates that negative word of mouth is restricting ‘Other Mommy’s’ ability to fully capitalize on the day off.

Terrible WOM prevented R-rated horror #OtherMommy starring #JessicaChastain to benefit from #ColumbusDay boost as much as it would otherwise at US #BoxOffice! The horror was still #1 with a 2.9M MON holiday, but dropping -54.4% from SUN (vs #Scream5’s 3.8M, -40.6%, #TheBlackPhone 3.1M, -47.8%, #LongLegs 2.7M, -48.5%, #TheExorcistBeliever 2.4M, -57.8%) It hits a 30.7M US cume in 4 days. The biggest ace in Blumhouse’s sleeves is always keeping budget under control, and with a 19M production price tag not including marketing, #OtherMommy should have no trouble to make most of the investment back while still in theatres even if it crashes next weekend.

— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) October 13, 2026

The Monday figures follow a robust opening. ‘Other Mommy’ debuted on October 9 across 3,365 theaters, earning $27.5 million, significantly surpassing the expected $20 million. It dominated the weekend, being the only film to exceed $12 million.

However, it did so with some of the lowest scores of the year. Audiences rated it a D+ on CinemaScore, marking the lowest grade for a wide release since ‘Megalopolis’ in September 2024, while critics rated it between 18% and 20% on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience score on the same platform hovers around 46% to 47%.

Despite this, the opening achieved a record. According to Rotten Tomatoes, it boasts the highest opening weekend ever for a film with a D+ CinemaScore, surpassing previous records held by ‘Alexander’, ‘Hereditary’, ‘Jaws 3-D’, and ‘Battlefield Earth’. It also ranks as the fourth-best horror opening of the year, trailing ‘Backrooms’, ‘Scream 7’, and ‘Resident Evil’.

The film made $12.6 million on its opening day and added $17.69 million internationally, bringing its global total to $45.19 million after the first weekend. The audience demographic was evenly split by gender, with about two-thirds aged between 18 and 34. This group is typically enthusiastic about horror but tends to rush in early.

What prevents this from becoming a cautionary tale is the budget. The film was produced for approximately $19 million, excluding marketing, which is a staple of Blumhouse’s business model. With the first weekend alone covering most of that cost, the film is already moving into profit territory.

This cost control is why even a significant drop does not jeopardize the film’s financial outlook. As one analyst noted, the film should recoup most of its investment while still in theaters, even if it experiences a crash next weekend. Essentially, the studio has created a buffer that negative reviews cannot easily dismantle.

‘Other Mommy’ was directed by Rob Savage and produced by Blumhouse-Atomic Monster alongside James Wan. Chastain stars as Ursula, alongside a creature that resembles her, a malevolent doppelganger that haunts her daughter. Arabella Olivia Clark portrays Bela, the 8-year-old girl central to the narrative.

Universal was reportedly hesitant to screen the film for press in advance, a common warning sign. Instead, the studio relied on a marketing strategy featuring spooky trailers, including one that transformed a ball pit into a horror-filled ocean. This approach succeeded in drawing audiences in for the opening weekend.

The real challenge lies in the second weekend. A D+ typically indicates a steep decline, and other recent films with poor audience ratings, like ‘Digger’ and ‘Verity’, saw drops exceeding 60% in their second weekends. If ‘Other Mommy’ follows suit, its theatrical run could be brief.

New trailer for ‘OTHER MOMMY’, starring Jessica Chastain and Jessica Chastain. The film follows a young girl who is threatened by a sinister demon that looks exactly like her mother. In theaters on October 9. https://t.co/Xwu3FI6pYz

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 15, 2026

Nevertheless, the film has already achieved the primary objective of any low-budget horror release: it opened strongly and is already profitable. Whether it can maintain this momentum or fade quickly may hinge on whether the Halloween season provides another surge of interest.

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