'Obsession' Pulls Off Very Rare Third-Weekend Box Office Feat

26-year-old Curry Barker's disturbing horror movie, Obsession, has been defying box office norms since its release. Each achievement more impressive than the last, what the film has accomplished in its third weekend in theaters is unheard of.

Obsession was made for $750,000 and was acquired by Focus Features for $15 million after its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025.

Since its May 15 debut, the film that originally had modest projections has consistently shattered expectations at the box office. Obsession's opening weekend brought in $17.2 million, doubling its projection of $8 million to $9 million.

Big movies that are successful with positive reception usually face a box office drop-off in their second weekend of about 50%. That, or anything less, signifies excellent word of mouth and is considered a financial win for the movie. A second weekend actually topping its first is ultra-rare, as a film's opening is almost exclusively the most profitable window.

Obsession defied that industry standard, bringing in $23.9 million in weekend No. 2, a nearly 40% increase from its first. A small drop-off would have been immensely positive; to hold at the same number would have been even better; a slight increase, extraordinary. But a 40% increase is almost unbelievable.

After Barker's phenomenon did the undoable, weekend No. 3 upped the ante. Not only did Obsession's third weekend at the box office also top its first, but it beat out its second as well. Taking the crown as the movie's biggest weekend, it brought in $27.4 million (a 14% increase) during the weekend of May 29.

This is the first time a non-holiday release's third weekend has outgrossed its first and second since E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in 1982.

OBSESSION is tracking to become the first non-Christmas wide release since Steven Spielberg's E.T. (1982) to post 2nd and 3rd weekend increases:



1st weekend - $17.2M

2nd weekend - $23.9M

3rd weekend - $25M-$30M (our projection)



A historic box office run for Focus/Blumhouse. pic.twitter.com/BcmiVbcHga

— Global Box Office (@GlobalBoxOffice) May 29, 2026

Thanks to the extreme virality and high praise of the film, it's benefiting from a very uncommon reverse box office trend. Obsession has reminded audiences of the magic of the theater experience and being apart of a cultural moment that art creates.

The film has already grossed more than $150 million worldwide in three weeks and is projected to surpass $250 million to $300 million.

Obsession will become one of, if not the, highest-grossing movies ever made for less than $1 million, as well as the most profitable ever compared to its budget.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

2026 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 2:09 PM.