Horror carried the North American box office into the weekend as “Other Mommy,” the new supernatural thriller led by Jessica Chastain, collected about $3.6 million from Thursday preview screenings.
The film, adapted from a popular novel and produced by horror specialists Atomic Monster and Blumhouse, follows a mother whose young daughter insists she spends time with an imaginary companion she calls her “other mommy” — a figure the family comes to believe may not be imaginary at all. Trailers have leaned on the child’s calm delivery of increasingly disturbing claims.
Tracking services projected an opening weekend of roughly $20 million from about 3,200 theatres, a strong figure for an original horror title released outside the summer corridor. Preview grosses are counted within the opening weekend, so the early number sets the film up well if word of mouth holds through Saturday.
Chastain’s presence gives the release an awards-season sheen unusual for the genre, and analysts said the campaign has sold the mystery of the title character rather than relying on jump scares alone. October has repeatedly proven friendly to horror, with audiences primed by the season.
The opening continues a healthy run for modestly budgeted scary movies, which remain among the most reliable returns in theatres. Final weekend figures will be reported on Sunday, with the studio watching whether family matinees stay away and horror fans turn out in groups at night.
The economics help explain the genre’s grip on release calendars. A production of this scale can recover its costs in a single strong weekend, and success travels well internationally because fright needs little translation. Studios have responded by scheduling horror year-round rather than saving it for October alone.
Exhibitors, for their part, welcome a title that draws younger audiences back to evening showtimes. Whether “Other Mommy” joins this year’s breakout list will depend on second-weekend retention, the metric that separates curiosity from genuine word of mouth.
