The Social Reckoning headed for a box-office flop to rival Tom Cruise’s Digger

If you thought The Social Reckoning was lining up to be a box office heavy-hitter, you might want to lower those expectations. Early numbers and reviews are painting a rather muted picture for Aaron Sorkin’s sequel to The Social Network, and there’s a rather interesting comparison brewing with another underwhelming release – Tom Cruise’s Digger. But before you write this one off as just another bomb, there’s a twist in the tale when it comes to the financial side.

The Social Reckoning lands in cinemas on 9 October 2026, right in the middle of a crowded awards-bait season.

Low Opening, But With a Catch

The current word from industry trackers (via Deadline) is that The Social Reckoning is looking at what they call a 'mid-single-digit' opening across 2,200 theatres in the US. Translate that into actual money, and you’re probably looking at something around the $8 million mark for its opening weekend – give or take. Coincidentally, that’s almost identical to the lacklustre debut for Digger, which scraped up just $8 million out of the gate, even with Tom Cruise plastered all over the posters and a major studio push behind it.

Now, on paper, these are equally grim numbers for both films. But here’s where things get genuinely interesting: Digger allegedly cost a jaw-dropping $160 million to make. In contrast, The Social Reckoning’s budget reportedly sits in a much more sensible $30–42 million range, not counting the extra it might spend to market the thing worldwide. On top of that, Alcon helped co-finance the Sorkin sequel, spreading out the risk in a way Digger never managed.

• The Social Reckoning: Approx. $30–42 million production budget (excluding marketing/prints), with Alcon sharing the load
• Digger: About $160 million sunk into production alone, no co-financing to soften the blow

So while both films might look like duds based on ticket sales, only one of them is a complete financial catastrophe. If you’re keeping score, just remember – how much you spend is a lot harder to claw back than a modest opening weekend.

What’s Actually in the Sequel?

Sorkin is back as both writer and director for The Social Reckoning, picking up in a very different social media landscape. This time, Facebook isn’t just a fresh-faced start-up full of college kids, it’s the all-powerful behemoth we know (and maybe loathe) today. The film takes inspiration from real events: the whistleblowing saga of Frances Haugen, a Facebook engineer who went public with the platform’s darkest secrets. She teamed up with Jeff Horwitz, a Wall Street Journal reporter, setting off the revelations now known as the Facebook Files.

Jeremy Strong (the bloke from Succession) has stepped into the role of a now middle-aged Mark Zuckerberg. He’s joined by Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, Wunmi Mosaku, Betty Gilpin, Billy Magnussen, and Bill Burr – a rather eclectic mix if you ask me.

What’s the Early Buzz?

If you pay any attention to Rotten Tomatoes (I usually do, with a pinch of salt), The Social Reckoning is currently holding a 63% Tomatometer with 70 reviews logged. That’s certainly not a disaster, but it’s far from another critical darling for Sorkin.