Overview
- The film, which opened May 15, earned about $23.9 million over its Memorial Day weekend second frame, a roughly 39 percent increase over its $17.2 million opening weekend and an extremely rare boost for a wide release.
- Obsession was made for about $750,000, was acquired at TIFF by Focus for roughly $15 million, and has returned many times its cost with early global grosses reported in the tens of millions.
- Focus’s targeted Gen Z marketing, immersive merch drops and theatre partnerships helped drive repeat viewings and a young audience that industry analysts cite as central to the film’s unusual hold.
- Studios have already offered seven- to eight-figure deals for Barker’s next original project, including a reported attempted $10 million preemptive offer, though Blumhouse-Atomic Monster and Universal hold first-negotiation rights.
- The film’s performance is reshaping studio strategy on low-cost original horror by accelerating talent bidding, prompting talk of sequels or anthologies, and forcing decisions on longer theatrical windows versus earlier streaming.