The Social Reckoning is flopping at the box office
Aaron Sorkin's new film "The Social Reckoning" has significantly underperformed at the box office, grossing only $5.5 million in its opening weekend against a budget estimated at between $30 and $42 million. This represents a substantial financial loss for Columbia Pictures and Sony, particularly when compared to Sorkin's previous film "The Social Network," which opened to $22 million and won three Academy Awards for its screenplay, editing and score.
The film stars Mikey Madison as whistleblower Frances Haugen and Jeremy Allen White as Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, but has received mixed critical reception with a 55 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Industry observers attribute the poor performance to audiences expecting a proper sequel to "The Social Network," the absence of Jesse Eisenberg who originally played Mark Zuckerberg, and a preference for other genres, with Blumhouse's horror film "Other Mommy" grossing $27.5 million that same weekend.
- Sorkin's "The Social Reckoning" made only $5.5m against a $30-42m budget
- The film received mixed reviews and underperformed compared to "The Social Network"
- Audiences apparently preferred horror film "Other Mommy," which made $27.5m
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Aaron Sorkin, the screenwriter behind the acclaimed 2010 film "The Social Network," directed a new drama about people who exposed controversies at Facebook. The film stars Mikey Madison as Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee who publicly criticised the company, and Jeremy Allen White as a Wall Street Journal reporter who investigated the platform.
"The Social Network" was both a critical and commercial success that won three Academy Awards, establishing Sorkin's reputation for intelligent dramas about the technology industry and corporate power. The expectations surrounding his new project reflected the success of that earlier film and audience interest in stories about major tech companies.
Columbia Pictures and Sony funded the film with substantial budgets based on Sorkin's proven track record of success. The outcome of such high-profile film projects influences which kinds of stories studios choose to fund in future and determines the opportunities available to established filmmakers.