Moviegoers are obsessed with Obsession.
Produced by Blumhouse Productions and distributed in the United States by Focus Features, the new horror movie was released in theaters on May 15 and debuted to $17.2 million domestically. In its second weekend, the movie made $21.5 million, marking a 26% jump from its debut, a remarkably rare feat for a wide-release film, particularly within the horror genre, where second-week increases are almost unheard of.
Now, 10 days after its release, Obsession has officially made $79 million at the box office worldwide in just two weekends, per Box Office Mojo, which is over 100 times its $750,000 budget (though reports also estimate its budget at $1 million). Right now, its box office breaks down to about $58 million domestically and $21 million internationally.
Written, directed, and edited by Curry Barker, Obsession follows a lovestruck man who acquires a supernatural toy that makes his childhood crush fall for him, but the wish comes true in a terrifying way, leading to disturbing consequences. Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette lead the cast alongside Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, Andy Richter, Haley Fitzgerald, and Darin Toonder in supporting roles.
In addition to its record-breaking box office, Obsession has received rave reviews, resulting in a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score, with critics claiming that, by taking a deeply unsettling idea and bending it into something slyly entertaining, the movie manages to be both genuinely disturbing and sharply fun, while still delivering plenty of thrills.
It also has a 95% audience score, many of whom have also fallen in love with Inde Navarrette in Obsession, calling it an inventively grotesque and occasionally darkly comic horror film that firmly marks Curry Barker as a director to watch.
In addition to making 100 times its budget, last week, Obsession also became the cheapest movie to top the box office since Paranormal Activity in 2009. By comparison, Paranormal Activity was famously made on a shoestring $15,000 budget before exploding into a $193 million global hit, setting records along the way.
While Obsession hasn’t reached those same box office heights, it has still become a strong word-of-mouth success, boosted by viral marketing and glowing reviews that have kept audiences coming in after its opening weekend.
With its viral momentum showing no signs of slowing down, Obsession has quickly become a standout horror success story, proving that small-budget originality can still dominate the box office. As word of mouth continues to spread and audiences keep packing theaters, Obsession‘s unsettling charm and twisted premise could keep drawing viewers back for more.
- Release Date
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May 15, 2026
- Runtime
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108 minutes
- Director
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Curry Barker
- Writers
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Curry Barker
- Producers
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Christian Mercuri, James Harris, Roman Viaris, Haley Nicole Johnson
