Focus Features
Box office unicorn Obsession has gone far beyond being a success. The $750K-produced horror film is now on track to become one of the most profitable movies ever made.
Since being released in movie theaters on May 15, Obsession — which stars breakout Inde Naravette in the lead role — has experienced an unprecedented week-over-week growth at the box office, as it made more money with each passing weekend.
Obsession earned $16 million in its opening weekend, $22.4M in its second weekend, and $26.4 this weekend, making it the first movie since Steven Spielberg’s 1982 classic E.T. to increase in its third week. Similarly, it became one of the only films in the 21st century to earn 30% more in its second weekend than its opening weekend.
Obsession could wind up with $280-$330 million at the box office, which would make it one of the most profitable movies ever made
The unheard of box office growth Obsession is experiencing is now putting it on track to finish with anywhere between $280 million and $330 million at the global box office, which would make it one of the most profitable movies ever made — a roughly 373-440x return on its production budget.
For context: Paranormal Activity, long considered the gold standard of micro-budget horror profitability, was made for $15,000 and grossed $193 million worldwide. The Blair Witch Project cost $60,000 and made $248 million.The original Saw was produced for $1 million and made $104 million.
Obsession isn’t the only record-breaking horror phenomenon currently making waves in theaters, as Backrooms — directed by 20-year-old filmmaker Kane Parsons — opened to $81 million at the box office, making it: A24’s biggest opened weekend ever, the largest original horror debut in history, the largest opening weekend ever for a first-time feature director on an original film, and among the top 15 R-rated openings of all time.
Unprecedented. Thank you horror fans. This weekend and every weekend you show up in theaters pic.twitter.com/m3uVel0ghD
— Blumhouse (@blumhouse) May 31, 2026
Both Obsession and Backrooms made more money than The Mandalorian & Grogu this weekend, which experienced a brutal 70% drop in its second weekend at the box office.