The Social Reckoning” Opens Today: Aaron Sorkin’s Return to Facebook Has Critics Divided

Sixteen years after “The Social Network” turned Facebook’s origin story into an Oscar winner, Aaron Sorkin is back with what comes after. “The Social Reckoning” opens in theaters today. The early verdict is that it lives in its predecessor’s shadow.

What it’s about

This isn’t a story about building Facebook. It’s about what Facebook built. The film dramatizes the 2021 leak by whistleblower Frances Haugen, a young Facebook engineer, and Jeff Horwitz, the Wall Street Journal reporter who published her findings as “The Facebook Files.” It digs into the company’s internal practices, the spread of misinformation, the impact on teen mental health, and the platform’s connection to January 6.

Sorkin wrote and directed this time. He had said he’d only return to this world if David Fincher came back, and Fincher didn’t.

The cast

Oscar winner Mikey Madison (“Anora”) plays Haugen, and Jeremy Allen White (“The Bear”) plays Horwitz. Jeremy Strong takes over as Mark Zuckerberg, the role Jesse Eisenberg played in 2010. This time, though, Zuckerberg is a supporting character. Wunmi Mosaku, fresh off “Sinners,” is part of the ensemble, alongside Betty Gilpin, Billy Magnussen, Bill Burr and Gbenga Akinnagbe.

What critics are saying

Reviews have landed in the middle. As of the embargo lift, the film held a 68% Tomatometer score from 47 reviews, far below the original’s 96%. It sits at 52 on Metacritic.

Supporters call it smart, timely adult entertainment and say the script brings energy and humor to what could have been a dry procedural. Detractors find it preachy, overexplained and late to a conversation audiences already know. Some are disappointed that Zuckerberg takes a back seat. Nearly everyone agrees on one thing: the cast is strong, and Madison continues Sorkin’s run of convincing on-screen tech minds.

The box office picture

Expectations are modest. Tracking pointed to an opening of around $4–6 million, though some forecasts ran as high as $6–10 million. For comparison, “The Social Network” opened to $22.4 million in 2010 on its way to $225 million worldwide. It also faces direct competition this weekend from Universal’s horror film “Other Mommy,” starring Jessica Chastain.

Why it still matters

Even with a lukewarm reception, the subject matter isn’t going away. A film about a woman who risked her career to expose what a tech giant knew about harm to teenagers and democracy lands differently in 2026 than it would have a few years ago. Whether audiences show up is another question. We’ll know Sunday.