The Social Reckoning Opens To Weak Box-office Sales
Aaron Sorkin’s follow-up to The Social Network drew about $5.5 million domestically in its opening weekend, well below studio projections.
Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning opened to about $5.5 million at the domestic box office, a weak start for the follow-up to The Social Network. TechCrunch reported that Sunday estimates put it below the studio’s projected $7 million to $8 million opening. The Verge subsequently described the $5.5 million figure as the weekend’s gross and said the film had sharply underperformed.
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A smaller opening than its predecessor
Both outlets compared the result with The Social Network, which opened to $22 million. TechCrunch noted that the earlier film went on to earn $97 million domestically, while The Verge reported a budget of between $30 million and $42 million for The Social Reckoning. The Verge called the new film a box-office flop and said its performance would be costly for Columbia Pictures and Sony.
The films also differ in subject. According to TechCrunch, The Social Network centered on the drama of Facebook’s early days, whereas The Social Reckoning takes a darker approach, focusing on whistleblower Frances Haugen’s decision to leak material that became known as the Facebook files.
Reviews and audience interest
The Verge reported that The Social Reckoning had a 55% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and faced criticism on social media. Both outlets pointed to its reviews as a possible factor in the weak opening. The Verge also raised, without settling, whether viewers wanted a more direct sequel to The Social Network or had difficulty connecting with the new film’s performances.
The Verge reported that Jesse Eisenberg, who played Mark Zuckerberg in the earlier film, did not want to appear in The Social Reckoning, according to Sorkin. It also noted that the new film stars Mikey Madison as Haugen and Jeremy Allen White as Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz.
A wider run of tech-focused films
TechCrunch suggested the opening might offer an early indication of interest in a slate of productions about real-world tech figures, while cautioning that a single film’s result cannot explain audience tastes. It pointed to the documentary Musk, which it said earned $69,000 in four theaters over the same weekend, as well as forthcoming productions about Elizabeth Holmes, an OpenAI boardroom drama, and a Netflix series about Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX.
Other films drew larger crowds that weekend. The Verge reported that Blumhouse’s Other Mommy took in $27.5 million. Whether The Social Reckoning’s opening reflects its reviews, its subject matter or a broader lack of interest in tech-centered stories remains unclear from the weekend figures alone.
Sources
This story was compiled by AI from the reports below. Read the originals for the full details.