The big box office story for the week is Backrooms from A24 and director Kane Parsons, which just had the biggest opening weekend for an original horror property in history. But it’s not the only massive box office story for the horror genre as we head into the summer.
From director Curry Barker, the wish fulfillment nightmare Obsession continues to make a killing at the box office, even facing stiff horror competition in the form of Backrooms. In its third weekend in U.S. theaters, Obsession took the fight to Backrooms and managed to make more money in Weekend #3 than it made in its debut weekend and its second weekend!
After a debut weekend of $17 million, Obsession made a whopping $23 million in its second weekend, a practically unheard of week-to-week growth. Even more incredibly, Obsession just scared up $26.4 million in its third weekend, allowing the film to pass the $100 million mark at the domestic box office. Worldwide, Obsession has now made a whopping $148 million.
The box office analysts at Exhibitor Relations Co. note, “Obsession is Focus Features’ highest grossing film of all time at the domestic box office. Outside of the Christmas season, Obsession is the first film since 1982 that went up at the box office over its 2nd & 3rd weekend.”
That 1982 movie they’re referring to? That’d be Steven Spielberg’s E.T.
Backrooms and Obsession were #1 and #2 on the domestic box office charts this weekend, with both films massacring the mega budget Star Wars movie The Mandalorian and Grogu!
That means Blumhouse-Atomic Monster currently has the #1 and #2 movies in the United States with two original horror films: Backrooms for A24 and Obsession for Focus Features.
Another noteworthy feat? Obsession is the lowest-budgeted horror film to top the North American box office since Paranormal Activity in 2009, the film that launched Blumhouse!
The production budget for Obsession was just $750,000, with Focus Features acquiring the film for a reported $15 million. Needless to say, the film is already raking in massive profits, and its incredible box office performance is showing no signs of slowing. Stay tuned.
[Related] When Will ‘Obsession’ Be Available on Digital at Home?
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.
