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Horror Film Obsession Earns 80 Times Its Budget After Two Weeks

The low-budget horror film opened at number three domestically and rose 30 percent in its second weekend. Worldwide gross reached $79.7 million against a production cost of roughly $1 million.

Forbes
1 source·May 25, 6:39 PM(3 days ago)·1m read
Horror Film Obsession Earns 80 Times Its Budget After Two WeeksForbes
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The horror film Obsession has grossed approximately $79.7 million worldwide in its first two weekends, according to IMDb Pro’s BoxOfficeMojo. The reported production budget ranged from $750,000 to $1 million. Obsession opened on May 15 and earned $17.2 million in its first three days, placing third domestically, Variety reported.

It then held the top domestic spot on the following Monday through Thursday.

Domestic earnings reached $22 million in the second weekend, a 30 percent increase from opening weekend, Variety said. The four-day Memorial Day total is projected at $28.2 million. Focus Features acquired the film out of TIFF in September 2025 for a reported $14 million to $15 million. The studio has already recovered that acquisition cost multiple times over.

Barker wrote, directed, and edited the film.

He previously released the found-footage short Milk & Serial on YouTube after failing to secure distribution. Michael Johnston stars as Bear, Inde Navarrette as Nikki, with supporting roles filled by Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, and Andy Richter.

The film runs 109 minutes and holds a 95 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes from 218 reviews. Barker’s next project, Anything But Ghosts, is in post-production with Focus and Blumhouse attached. He has also been hired to direct an A24 Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot.

Key Facts

$79.7 million
worldwide gross after two weekends
$750,000-$1 million
reported production budget range
30 percent
second-weekend domestic increase
95 percent
Rotten Tomatoes critics score from 218 reviews

Story Timeline

4 events
  1. September 2025

    Focus Features acquired Obsession out of TIFF.

    1 sourceForbes
  2. May 11, 2026

    Los Angeles special screening held for Obsession.

    1 sourceForbes
  3. May 15, 2026

    Obsession opened in theaters and earned $17.2 million in three days.

    1 sourceForbes
  4. May 25, 2026

    Worldwide gross reached $79.7 million after second weekend.

    1 sourceForbes

Potential Impact

  1. 01

    Focus Features has recovered its acquisition cost multiple times over.

  2. 02

    Curry Barker has been hired for an A24 Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot.

  3. 03

    Anything But Ghosts remains in post-production with Focus and Blumhouse.

Transparency Panel

Sources cross-referenced1
Confidence score75%
Synthesized bySubstrate AI
Word count219 words
PublishedMay 25, 2026, 6:39 PM
Bias signals removed2 across 1 outlet
Signal Breakdown
Loaded 1Amplifying 1

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