“Obsession” has achieved another major box office milestone, grossing $400 million in global ticket sales. After two months in theaters, the hit indie horror film has grossed a remarkable $403 million, including $245 million domestically and $157 million overseas. The twisted romantic fantasy, directed by YouTuber Curry Barker, was produced for just $750,000 and acquired
“Obsession” has achieved another major box office milestone, grossing $400 million in global ticket sales.
After two months in theaters, the hit indie horror film has grossed a remarkable $403 million, including $245 million domestically and $157 million overseas. The twisted romantic fantasy, directed by YouTuber Curry Barker, was produced for just $750,000 and acquired by Focus Features for $14 million at last year’s Toronto Film Festival, making “Obsession” a hugely profitable sensation.
Most movies would slow down (or leave theaters entirely) after eight opening weekends. Not “Obsession,” which continued to tie over the July 4 holiday with $5.3 million domestically and $12 million internationally. It’s inching closer to the $250 million mark in North America, a threshold that few films (artistic or otherwise) reach in these challenging post-pandemic times.
The low-budget thriller opened in May with $17 million in North America, a very encouraging start for an original film. Then something notable happened: ticket sales continued to rise, resulting in four consecutive weekends bigger than its debut.
Positive word of mouth and enthusiastic Gen Z audiences have fueled participation in “Obsession,” which follows a hopeless romantic named Bear (Michael Johnston) who makes a Faustian deal to win the heart of his crush, Nikki (Inde Navarrette). “Obsession” and the A24 hit “Backrooms,” another lively horror film, upended the conventional wisdom that young people weren’t all that interested in the big screen. It turns out that the TikTok generation also wants to go to the movies. “Backrooms,” directed by YouTuber Kane Parsons, also took the box office by storm with a stellar $347 million worldwide to date.
“There’s a new generation of moviegoers who are declaring a very specific taste for horror movies that’s pretty left-wing,” said Jason Blum, who produced “Obsession” and “Backrooms” through his Blumhouse-Atomic Monster company. Variety earlier this summer. “There’s a lot of concern about theater and this is a really new area of growth.”
Keep following us for the latest insights.
