Sorkin's "The Social Reckoning" struggles at the box office
Aaron Sorkin's "The Social Reckoning", a sequel to "The Social Network", earned only $5.5 million in its opening weekend. Meanwhile, the horror film "Other Mommy" took in $27.5 million.
"The Social Reckoning", the new film from American screenwriter and director Aaron Sorkin, is performing poorly at the box office. It is a follow-up to "The Social Network", the 2010 film about the creation of Facebook. According to Variety, the film earned just $5.5 million over the past weekend, while its budget is estimated at between $30 million and $42 million. It was made by Columbia Pictures, which is owned by Sony, so the losses could be significant.
Comparison with the first film
Its predecessor, "The Social Network", opened with $22 million. That film won three Oscars, for its screenplay, editing and score, and Sorkin wrote the screenplay himself.
Reviews and performances
Reviews of the new film have been middling: it holds a 55% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has been widely criticized on social media. The Verge suggests audiences may have been hoping for a true sequel to the first film. Reactions to some performances may also have played a part, including Mikey Madison as whistleblower Frances Haugen and Jeremy Allen White as Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz.
Madison told The Hollywood Reporter that Sorkin's vision as director kept her from authentically and faithfully representing a real person, something she hopes to do in the future. According to Sorkin himself, Jesse Eisenberg, who played Mark Zuckerberg in the first film, had no interest in appearing in the new one.
Horror outperforms drama
Over the same weekend, Blumhouse's horror film "Other Mommy" brought in $27.5 million. The Verge reads this as a sign that audiences are more interested in fresh horror than in reminders of how social media has affected people's lives.
