Academy Award winner Jessica Chastain claimed the top spot at the North American box office over the weekend of October 9–11, 2026, as her new psychological horror film, Other Mommy, debuted to a strong $27.5 million in domestic ticket sales. Released in theaters on October 9 following a red carpet premiere at Universal Cinema AMC CityWalk in Hollywood on October 8, the film outperformed industry tracking expectations, leading the autumn box office slate and drawing horror fans nationwide.
Directed by Rob Savage and produced by Blumhouse and James Wan, Other Mommy features Chastain in a dual role as Ursula and a sinister supernatural doppelgänger. The story centers on a mother who must protect her young daughter Bela, played by Arabella Olivia Clark, after an entity begins taking over her identity. Despite mixed critical reviews leading up to its release, strong word-of-mouth and audience interest propelled the original horror title ahead of competing weekend releases.
Jessica Chastain is recognized as one of Hollywood's premier dramatic actresses, renowned for her transformative performances across film and television. She achieved her breakthrough in 2011 with critically praised roles in The Tree of Life and The Help, the latter of which earned her an Academy Award nomination. She received a second Oscar nomination for her leading performance as Maya, a CIA analyst in Kathryn Bigelow's 2012 thriller Zero Dark Thirty, before winning the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2022 for her portrayal of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker in The Eyes of Tammy Faye.
Throughout her career, Chastain has taken on diverse roles in hit studio films such as Interstellar, The Martian, It Chapter Two, and Molly's Game, as well as acclaimed miniseries including Scenes from a Marriage and George & Tammy. In addition to her acting work, Chastain founded her own production company, Freckle Films, in 2016 to promote diversity and female-led storytelling behind and in front of the camera. She recently returned to television with Apple TV's thriller series The Savant.
The impressive opening weekend for Other Mommy underscores Chastain's box office draw in atmospheric genre films following her success in It Chapter Two. Studio executives expect the thriller to maintain strong box office momentum throughout the Halloween season as word-of-mouth continues to drive moviegoers to theaters.
