“Other Mommy” Beats “Verity” by £33,263 at U.K., Ireland Box Office

Rob Savage's horror film “Other Mommy” claimed the top spot at the U.K. and Ireland box office with £1.97 million ($2.66 million), edging Sony's “Verity” by a margin of just £33,263 ($43,970), according to box office figures for the weekend frame.

The Universal release, which stars Jessica Chastain and Jay Duplass, arrived at No. 1 in its debut session. The photo finish split the two studios at the summit of the chart. Sony's psychological thriller “Verity,” an adaptation of Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel, slipped to second place in its sophomore weekend with £1.94 million ($2.62 million). The film lifted its running total to £7.3 million ($9.8 million).

What does the rest of the top 10 look like?

Paramount's action thriller “Heart of the Beast,” starring Brad Pitt and J.K. Simmons, held third position in its third frame with $1.1 million, bringing its gross to $7.3 million. Sony took two more places in the chart. The franchise reboot “Resident Evil” took fourth spot in its fourth session with $1 million, advancing its total to $17.1 million. Aaron Sorkin's political drama “The Social Reckoning” debuted in fifth with $840,538.

• No. 6: Universal's “Sense and Sensibility,” $797,038 in its third weekend; running total $6.8 million.
• No. 7: Entertainment Film Distributors' “The Uprising,” directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Andrew Garfield, opened with $732,547.
• No. 8: Studiocanal's “Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom,” $665,849 in its fourth session; total $5.1 million.
• No. 9: Warner Bros.' Tom Cruise film “Digger,” $661,819 in its sophomore frame; cume $3 million.
• No. 10: Universal's “The Odyssey,” directed by Christopher Nolan, added $353,321 in its 13th week, pushing its cumulative gross to $118.3 million.

What arrives in cinemas this week?

The coming theatrical frame is crowded. On Monday, Trafalgar Releasing launched the music documentary “Always Lalisa,” followed on Tuesday by Cinematik's presentation of “ENB: The Sleeping Beauty” across more than 100 locations.

Friday brings wide rollouts across 300-plus locations, led by:

• Disney's survival thriller “Whalefall,” directed by Brian Duffield and starring Austin Abrams and Josh Brolin.
• Icon Film Distribution's found-footage horror “The Influencer Project,” starring Chiara King.
• Trafalgar Releasing's filmed stage capture “Hadestown: The Musical,” starring Reeve Carney and Eva Noblezada.
• Paramount's “Street Fighter.”

Mid-tier and platform releases include Universal's animated “Forgotten Island,” directed by Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado, and Anime Ltd.'s re-release of “Arrietty,” featuring voice work from Saoirse Ronan and Tom Holland.

What about specialized and repertory titles?

The specialized slate is dense. Titles opening Friday across 25-plus screens include Dominik Moll's drama “Case 137” (Conic), Neasa Ní Chianáin's documentary “Forever Is Now” (Soilsiu Films), Kiwi Chow's “Deadline” (DOVC U.K.), and Xue Bai's “It's My Time,” starring Michelle Yeoh (Central City Media). Bulldog Film Distribution's “By Design,” directed by Amanda Kramer and starring Juliette Lewis, joins Signature Entertainment's “Winter of the Crow,” Exposure's “Mistura,” Dogwoof's “Naza,” and Bakrania Media's “Prahaar.”

Repertory programming carries the frame's marquee heritage titles. Hammer and Icon Film Distribution launch Terence Fisher's classic “Dracula” in a 4K restoration across more than 100 screens, while Park Circus presents a 25th anniversary 4K restoration of Alejandro Amenábar's “The Others,” starring Nicole Kidman, across more than 100 locations. The frame concludes on Saturday with Trafalgar Releasing's live event cinema broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera's “Macbeth.”

With “Other Mommy” and “Verity” separated by less than the price of a used car, the coming wave of Friday releases will decide quickly whether either horror title can hold its ground at the top.