The Obsession phenomenon continues its ascent at the global box office, Curry Barker’s horror film having once again crossed a major milestone.
The rise of YouTubers on the big screen isn’t a new thing, even if, back then, it was mostly to watch Norman reenact Paranormal Activity or Logan Paul imitate (awkwardly) the ZAZ. But now there are also very promising projects and successes at stake, especially in horror cinema. In 2026 alone, two young talents stood out: the very young Kane Parsons with Backrooms and Curry Barker with Obsession.
This film has been well received by critics and has been heavily discussed on social media, fueling positive word-of-mouth as well as Blumhouse’s coffers (which co-produces the film). After a domestic start of more than solid at $17 million and an exceptional hold, the horror film starring Inde Navarrette and Michael Johnston continued its crazy ascent at the box office by crossing yet another milestone.
WHY YOU’RE SO OBSESSED WITH ME ?
Since the start of its global rollout in mid-May, Obsession has grossed $403 million at the box office. It’s simply enormous, especially with a production budget estimated between $750,000 and $1 million. In comparison, it’s more than Sinners (370 million), one of the biggest horror successes of 2025, but also more than Évanouis (270 million), 28 Years Later (151 million) or any other horror film released last year (Scream 7, Final Destination 5, Black Phone 2, etc.) – with the exception of the latest Conjuring (just under $500 million).
It is thus, for the moment, the top horror film of 2026, still with a small lead over Backrooms (349 million), which arrived at the end of May, two weeks after Obsession in the United States.
If it probably won’t match the latest Warren couple’s Conjuring outing, Obsession has nonetheless surpassed all the other films in the Conjuring Universe: Conjuring 1, 2 and 3 (between 206 and 320 million dollars), Annabelle 1 and 2 (between 257 and 306 million dollars) and The Nun 1 and 2 (respectively 365 and 269 million). As of now, the success is such that Obsession is already part of the 10 biggest horror movie successes of all time, not adjusted for inflation.
With still 5.3 million dollars earned for its 8th week of release, it could even end up catching William Friedkin’s The Exorcist (430 million, not adjusted for inflation and including re-releases). Naturally, all this has propelled Curry Barker, who has been announced to helm a forthcoming reboot of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre for A24.
