Made on a production budget of under $1 million, Curry Barker’s Obsession is a bona fide horror sensation at the box office, scaring up an impressive $17 million in its debut weekend.
But that story got even more incredible over the holiday weekend, with strong reviews and word-of-mouth giving Obsession a practically unheard of super-charge in its second weekend.
This feels pretty insane to even type out, but Obsession actually ended up making MORE money in its second weekend at the box office than the film made in its opening weekend!
Producer Jason Blum tweeted this past Sunday, “Obsession is the ONLY wide-release horror film on record to grow in its second weekend at this scale — $22.4M, up 30% over opening. This doesn’t happen in horror. Grateful to Focus Features, Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, & Divide/Conquer for championing this movie from the start.”
Obsession actually managed to make $23.9 million at the U.S. box office across its traditional second weekend (Friday-Sunday), and $30.2 million when you add in Memorial Day Monday!
In total, Curry Barker’s Obsession has raked in $60.7 million at the domestic box office and $68.3 million worldwide, making it one of the top 5 highest grossing horror movies of the year.
The only catch is that distributor Focus Features picked up the low-budget horror film for around $15 million, with an undisclosed marketing spend on top of that purchase cost. Even still, Obsession is already profitable for Focus Features, and it’s pretty safe to say the film will continue to generate money in theaters and at home in the months and years to come.
Jason Blum tells Variety this week, “There’s a new generation of moviegoers who are declaring a very specific taste for horror movies that is quite left-of-center. There’s a lot of concern about theatrical, and this is a real new growth area.”
Is Curry Barker the future of horror? Well, he will be directing the next installment in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre film franchise, so his future is certainly looking bright at the moment.
In Curry Barker’s theatrical debut Obsession, after breaking the mysterious One Wish Willow to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.
Inde Navarrette (“Superman & Lois”) and Michael Johnston (“Teen Wolf”) star.
