“Obsession” Sets Unprecedented Day-25 Box-Office Record, Outpacing Blockbuster Titans

On Monday, the 25th day of its domestic theatrical run, Curry Barker’s horror film “Obsession” earned approximately $4.2 million. That figure exceeds the Day-25 grosses recorded by several of the highest-earning films in U.S. history, including “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” ($3.1 M), “Avengers: Endgame” ($3.2 M), “Spider-Man: No Way Home” ($2.4 M), and a range of other top-grossers. The film also reclaimed the No. 1 spot at the box office on that Monday, overtaking “Scary Movie.”

The Wrap

“Obsession” opened with a modest $17 million domestic debut, a figure roughly 23 times its production budget. Despite the modest opening, the film displayed atypical box-office durability, generating more revenue in its second weekend than in its first and again surpassing its second-weekend total in the third weekend—an uncommon trajectory for any release, let alone an indie horror title. The film is distributed by Focus Features, a subsidiary known for specialty and independent releases.

The Wrap

• Curry Barker – writer-director of “Obsession,” whose previous work includes low-budget genre projects.

The Wrap

• Focus Features – the studio responsible for acquiring and marketing the film.

The Wrap

• Gen Z audiences – identified by industry analysts as a primary driver of the film’s sustained attendance, contributing to its “spectacular run.”

The Wrap

• Day-25 gross: $4.2 M (surpassing the Day-25 earnings of the listed blockbusters).

The Wrap

• Cumulative domestic gross to date: just over $156 M, placing the film at No. 422 on the all-time domestic earnings list.

The Wrap

• Comparative Day-25 figures: “Avatar” ($5.1 M), “Top Gun: Maverick” ($7.9 M); other films it outperformed on Day 25 include “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Titanic,” “Black Panther,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Jurassic World,” “Inside Out 2,” and “Deadpool & Wolverine.”

The Wrap

• Current competition: The film leads over newer releases such as “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” “Backrooms,” and “Masters of the Universe.” As of June 8, “Obsession” trails “The Mandalorian & Grogu” by less than $1 M in total domestic gross.

The Wrap

The performance of “Obsession” illustrates that a low-budget horror film can achieve sustained box-office strength traditionally reserved for high-budget franchises. Its ability to out-earn major studio releases on a specific day underscores the growing influence of younger demographics, particularly Gen Z, on theatrical attendance. The case may prompt distributors to reconsider release windows, marketing allocations, and the potential of surprise-release strategies for genre titles.

The Wrap

Industry trackers anticipate that “Obsession” could surpass “The Mandalorian & Grogu” in total domestic earnings within the current week. Continued dominance over newer titles suggests the film may set additional milestones before the end of its theatrical run, further solidifying its status as an outlier in contemporary box-office dynamics.

The Wrap