According to Sunday estimates, Aaron Sorkin’s sequel to The Social Network, The Social Reckoning, is projected to earn just $5.5 million at the domestic box office this weekend.
This performance fell below the studio’s previously modest expectation of $7 million to $8 million, suggesting that Sorkin’s new film is unlikely to replicate the success of The Social Network, which earned $22 million in its opening weekend and a total of $97 million at the North American box office (adjusted for 2010 ticket prices). That film also earned Sorkin an Oscar and became one of the most influential cinematic portrayals of Silicon Valley and startup culture.
Beyond the fate of a single film, this weekend’s box office performance may also offer insights into audience enthusiasm for a series of films centered on real-world tech company executives. This fall will see the release of several related projects, including Alex Gibney’s four-hour documentary *Musk* (also releasing this weekend), Nathan Fielder’s hard-to-classify documentary about Elizabeth Holmes, *You Can See Everything* (coming next week!), and the drama set in OpenAI’s boardroom, *Artificial* (which has changed distributors after being abandoned by Amazon).
Outside the theater, Netflix will also launch the series "The Altruists" in November, telling the story of Sam Bankman-Fried and the collapse of FTX.
As for The Social Reckoning, while The Social Network achieved significant success, the theatrical landscape has changed dramatically over the past 16 years. Unlike its predecessor, which captured the excitement and drama of Facebook’s early days, this sequel has a darker, heavier tone—centering on whistleblower Frances Haugen’s decision to leak what became known as the “Facebook Papers.”
So, a film about Senate hearings and algorithmic adjustments was perhaps never likely to become a blockbuster from the start. Or perhaps the true audience for The Social Reckoning consists of older viewers who only occasionally return to theaters. I also wonder whether criticisms of Facebook now seem less urgent to audiences who are more likely to lie awake worrying about AI.
Equally important, the reception for this new film hasn’t been great. (Then again, I personally enjoyed The Social Reckoning, but I fully acknowledge it’s packed with Sorkin’s signature long-winded monologues. I can’t help wondering what it might have looked like if directed by David Fincher, as in the original, with music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.)
Meanwhile, "Musk" earned $69,000 at the box office during its opening weekend across four theaters. Over the coming weeks, it will expand its theatrical release, but given its length and subject matter, the documentary is likely to attract more viewers after it begins streaming on HBO Max.