Obsession records a historic second-weekend box office surge no horror film has ever matched
Curry Barker‘s supernatural horror Obsession earned $23.9 million in its second North American weekend — a 39% jump over its $17.2 million opening — becoming the only wide-release horror film in recorded box office history to surge at that scale, as the low-budget British-rated 18 film plays in 487 UK locations from 15 May.
TL;DR
- Obsession grew 39% in its second weekend to $23.9 million — virtually unprecedented for a wide-release horror title.
- The film has earned $75 million worldwide against a budget of under $1 million.
- Blumhouse CEO Jason Blum said on X that this “doesn’t happen in horror.”
- The BBFC has rated the film 18; it opened in 487 UK cinemas from 15 May 2026.
What happened at the box office
The film earned $23.9 million from 2,655 North American theaters in its second weekend, rising to $30.2 million over the full Memorial Day holiday — a 39% increase on its debut of $17.2 million from 2,615 cinemas.
That 39% second-weekend surge is a feat that has never been recorded for any horror film that opened on 2,000 or more screens in documented box office history.
Comscore’s head of marketplace trends Paul Dergarabedian, who has tracked the box office for over 30 years, said: “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a movie have a jump like this in weekend two.”
Jason Blum calls it a once-in-a-genre moment
Blumhouse Productions founder and executive producer Jason Blum (@jason_blum) addressed the figures directly on X:
“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.”
— Jason Blum (@jason_blum), X, 24 May 2026, https://x.com/jason_blum/status/2058563587019563325
Blum said: “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.”
A YouTuber’s debut that defied every expectation
Barker, a 26-year-old YouTuber-turned-filmmaker, shot Obsession in just 20 days on a budget of $750,000.
Focus Features acquired the film out of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival for $15 million, beating out A24 and Neon — the distributors most closely associated with Gen Z audiences.
The film follows Bear (played by Michael Johnston), a shy music store employee who breaks a novelty toy called a “One Wish Willow” and wishes for his childhood crush Nikki (Inde Navarrette) to love him — with sinister results.
The film’s 96% Rotten Tomatoes score provided critical validation in a genre often dismissed by reviewers, while an A− CinemaScore expanded its appeal beyond traditional horror audiences.
The Gen Z engine driving ticket sales
Roughly 75% of the film’s audience is aged between 18 and 25, a historically critical demographic for any theatrical release.
Rather than a platform release — the standard approach for indie originals — Focus Features bet on a wide, nationwide theatrical rollout from day one.
“It’s great the audience is aware of it. You would think they would say, ‘I want to buy it at home.’ But they’re actually cheering for the movie to stay in theaters longer,” Blum said.
Where Obsession ranks historically
Among films that opened above 2,500 screens and then climbed between 35% and 40% in their second weekend, the list includes Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and Migration — none of them horror films.
The closest horror comparison is Sound of Freedom, which opened during the July 4 weekend of 2023 and rose roughly 39% in its second weekend — though that film benefited from significant screen additions, whereas Obsession added only 40 screens.
With a North American total of $60.7 million and $75 million worldwide, the film has already become one of the most profitable releases of the year.
UK release and rating
Obsession opened in the UK and Ireland on 15 May 2026 in 487 locations, distributed by Universal Pictures International.
The BBFC has awarded the film an 18 certificate, citing violence, threat and horror, language, sex, drugs, sexual violence, and injury detail. The film runs 109 minutes and was classified on 5 May 2026.
UK audiences can check local listings at Cineworld and major multiplex chains. No UK streaming platform or home-release date has been confirmed at the time of writing.
What comes next for Barker
Barker has been confirmed to direct the next instalment of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, having quickly established himself as one of the most commercially potent genre directors of his generation.
For more on the latest theatrical releases, read our coverage of the creepypasta horror anthology The Summoning and The House by the Cemetery‘s Bob returning to horror in Run.
You can also follow all the latest horror casting news in our report on American Horror Story Season 13.
Lewis Calvert Founder & Editor, BriefLedger
Lewis founded BriefLedger and has six years of experience covering film, TV, and entertainment news. He leads the site’s Movies and TV sections and runs the news desk — always with a straight-talking British take.
