Critics Hate Other Mommy, but Audiences Delivered a $27.5 Million Opening- Few horror films arrive with as much baggage as Other Mommy. Universal chose not to screen it for critics, and that silence set the tone before a single review was published. Add director Rob Savage’s boast of “50 jump scares,” and negative headlines almost wrote themselves. Still, moviegoers had their own idea, and they showed up in force.
A Trailer-Fueled Turnout
The creepy previews that ran ahead of The Odyssey did the heavy lifting. Curiosity turned into ticket sales, and the film pulled in $27.5 million over its opening weekend. That makes it the fourth-biggest horror debut of 2026, trailing only Backrooms ($81.4 million), Scream 7 ($63.6 million) and Resident Evil ($60.1 million).
Savage’s career has been a steady climb. He made his name with the lockdown-era screenlife chiller Host, followed it with the lower-profile Dashcam, then stepped into Stephen King’s world with The Boogeyman in 2023. That film debuted at $12.3 million and ended above $43 million. For Other Mommy, he partners with James Wan’s Atomic Monster for Blumhouse, and the opening more than doubles his previous best.
The October Horror Ceiling
Strong as the debut is, it doesn’t come close to the month’s all-time leaders. October is crowded with franchise heavyweights, and the top ten looks like this:
- Five Nights at Freddy’s: $80.0 million
- Halloween (2018): $76.2 million
- Paranormal Activity 3: $52.5 million
- Halloween Kills: $49.4 million
- Paranormal Activity 2: $40.67 million
- Halloween Ends: $40.05 million
- The Grudge (2004): $39.1 million
- Annabelle: $37.1 million
- Saw III: $33.6 million
- Saw IV: $31.75 million
October scare flicks also tend to burn out fast. Seven of the month’s top 13 genre openers never managed to double their first-weekend take. Happy Death Day, Paranormal Activity 4 and Saw V each opened north of $26 million, yet none crossed $60 million in total. Whether Other Mommy can hold up better will depend on how it plays through Halloween.
The Critics Weigh In
Reviewers who did see the film were not charitable. Only 19% of reviews were positive. Opinions differ, though, and some critics, this one included, think the pile-on was unfair and that the movie has more to offer than its reputation suggests.
A D+ Record Nobody Wanted
Audiences weren’t exactly raving either. Other Mommy earned a D+ CinemaScore, yet that grade comes with a distinction: it’s the highest-grossing opening ever for a D+ film. The previous record-holders were:
- Alexander: $13.68 million
- Hereditary: $13.57 million
- Jaws 3-D: $13.42 million
- Battlefield Earth: $11.54 million
Even the company is revealing. Hereditary is Certified Fresh at 90% with critics, so a rough exit poll doesn’t always mean a bad movie. Plenty of other D+ titles have earned strong reviews, including Haywire, Closer, Men, She’s So Lovely, Die My Love, Videodrome, Punch-Drunk Love and The New World. Audience reaction to divisive, unsettling films is a notoriously unreliable measure of quality, and the gap between crowds and critics can run in either direction.
Already in the Black
Whatever the final verdict, the money side looks healthy. Made for roughly $19 million, Other Mommy has already collected about $45 million worldwide, putting it comfortably in profit territory before its second weekend even arrives.
The film may not be a critical darling, and its CinemaScore suggests plenty of viewers left unimpressed. But it proves that a sharp trailer, a recognizable producer and a little controversy can still bring crowds to the multiplex. Whether it becomes a Halloween-season cult favorite or fades quickly is the next question, and the coming weekends will answer it. UK Plans Tougher AI Safety Rules as Government Warns Tech Firms Over Rogue AI Agents | Maya
