A Modest Opening for Sony's Follow-Up
Sony Pictures is releasing The Social Reckoning, a companion film to 2010's The Social Network, in 2,200 North American theaters. The studio projects an opening of roughly $7 million for the film, which carries a $30 million budget. Aaron Sorkin wrote and directed the movie, and its cast includes Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong.[S1][S2]
The Social Network opened on Oct. 1, 2010, and reached No. 1 domestically with $22.4 million. It held the top spot in its second weekend with a decline of just 31 percent. David Fincher directed that film, which recounted Facebook's early days and featured Jesse Eisenberg as founder Mark Zuckerberg, alongside Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake and Armie Hammer. It earned $224 million worldwide and won three Academy Awards from eight nominations.[S1]
No cast members from the first film return for the follow-up. Sorkin, who won an Oscar for his screenplay for The Social Network, takes over the director's chair from Fincher. The Social Reckoning is a fact-based thriller about a Facebook staffer, played by Madison, who joins forces with a journalist, played by White, to expose troubling truths about the company led by Zuckerberg, portrayed by Strong.[S1]
The Social Network earned a 96 percent critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes and stands among the most celebrated films of its decade, whereas The Social Reckoning has received a more divided reception, scoring 60 on Rotten Tomatoes. David Rooney, chief film critic at The Hollywood Reporter, called it an absorbing whistleblower thriller. Comparable adult dramas have landed in the range projected for The Social Reckoning, among them last year's Caught Stealing at $7.8 million and Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere at $8.8 million, though neither met expectations.[S1]
Tech Films Arrive as Horror Takes the Lead
The Social Reckoning belongs to a group of tech-company films arriving in cinemas during the year's closing months. Also on the way are the Elizabeth Holmes documentary You Can See Everything and Luca Guadagnino's Artificial, which focuses on OpenAI, while Bleecker Street's documentary Musk begins Friday in select New York and Los Angeles theaters. David A. Gross, who publishes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe, told THR that coverage of these companies has never felt more pressing, yet their stories still revolve around corporate power, control and money. He added that streaming appears a better fit than theaters, and that even polished efforts lack the visual or emotional pull that draws audiences to the big screen.[S1]
With Halloween season in full swing, the horror title Other Mommy is expected to claim the weekend's top position. Universal Pictures is putting the Jessica Chastain-led movie into 3,200 North American theaters and anticipates a $20 million debut. Directed by Rob Savage and produced for $19 million, it follows a menacing presence that materializes in a young girl's closet. Interest has been strong since its jolting trailer played before Universal's The Odyssey in theaters during the summer. Reviews are so-so, with THR critic Richard Lawson calling it an attractive but largely empty mix of jump scares and underdeveloped mythology.[S1]
Vying with Other Mommy for women seeking suspense is Amazon MGM Studios' holdover Verity, featuring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett. Even with a rough C+ CinemaScore and 33 percent critics approval on Rotten Tomatoes, director Michael Showalter's take on the Colleen Hoover novel opened last weekend to $32 million and took the frame, easily beating the launch of Tom Cruise's troubled Digger. Verity's debut audience was 78 percent female. Alongside Alex Gibney's Elon Musk documentary, limited-release newcomers this weekend include Chris Rock's Misty Green, the biographical drama Tenzing, Sebastian Stan's Fjord and the action-comedy Double Trouble.[S1]
