The review embargo for The Social Reckoning does not lift until Wednesday, but Kalshi traders currently price a Tomatometer score in “Fresh” territory for Aaron Sorkin's latest film.
Kalshi's market currently forecasts a 69% Tomatometer score for the follow-up to The Social Network.
For informational purposes only. Not trading advice. See full disclaimer below. Kalshi is not affiliated with The Social Reckoning or Sony Pictures.
What's it about?
The Social Reckoning returns to the world of Facebook more than a decade after The Social Network chronicled the company's contentious founding.
The film follows former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen, played by Mikey Madison, as she becomes a whistleblower against the social media giant. The story also follows Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, played by Jeremy Allen White, whose reporting helped expose the company's internal research and how the platform's algorithms can expose vulnerable users to harmful content. Succession’s Jeremy Strong plays Facebook co-founder, chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Positive reviews
Early reactions have been mixed, with some viewers praising Sorkin's dialogue and the film's subject matter while questioning whether it lives up to David Fincher's The Social Network.
Pop Culture Brain writer Alex Rabinowitz wrote that the film contains many of Sorkin's familiar trademarks, including rapid-fire dialogue, idealistic protagonists and pop-culture references.
“Sorkin heads, this one’s for you,” Rabinowitz wrote. “The Social Reckoning brings all his hallmarks that fans will love – crackling dialogue, do-gooders fighting a worthy fight, sports and throwback pop culture references – but the Sorkin haters might not be swayed.”
Film commentator Patrick Tomasso praised the film's investigative-journalism story while criticizing Sorkin's direction.
“If you enjoy a classic investigative journalism film as much as I do, you’ll find a lot of The Social Reckoning compelling,” Tomasso wrote. “I just find Sorkin’s directorial style uninspiring. It doesn’t hold a candle to [David] Fincher’s take on the topic, but this story is too important to ignore.”
Phantom (@effoff1988) wrote on X that the Wednesday review embargo may sound like a bad sign for the film's expected performance, but they think the film will surprise audiences.
“A Wednesday review embargo date is usually not a good sign & there also seems to be little love/confidence online for The Social Reckoning but I am starting to wonder if it may surprise…pleasantly,” Phantom wrote. “Timely story, great cast, a Sorkin script that is usually a banger. We’ll see.”
Negative reviews
If some of those positive reviews of The Social Reckoning didn’t sound very enthusiastic, other early reactions were considerably more critical.
First Showing's Alex Billington criticized the film's direction and screenplay, arguing that its good intentions were undermined by its execution.
“Cinematically uninteresting, script is painfully okay,” Billington wrote. “Definitely no ‘reckoning’ found in here. But I do appreciate how clearly it explains & shows how Facebook directly contributes to mass brainwashing/radicalizing no matter what they claim in public.”
Film and TV critic Scott Menzel posted a dire prediction about The Social Reckoning's fate at the box office. Menzel also predicted that the film could struggle commercially, although his post did not offer an assessment of its critical quality.
“The Social Reckoning and Street Fighter will be the next two films to bomb big time later this month,” Menzel wrote. “Meanwhile, The Other Mommy will do gangbusters with very little promotion or press from Universal because public interest is very high.”
The takeaway:
Kalshi markets now predict:
The Social Reckoning's Rotten Tomatoes review: 69%
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