Focus Features and Blumhouse’s Obsession continues to outperform expectations at the global box office, with its worldwide total now reaching $286.5 million. The film’s sustained success across multiple territories has made it one of the most notable festival acquisitions in recent memory, especially given its modest financing and relatively small acquisition cost compared with its eventual returns.
The horror romance, directed by Curry Barker and starring Indie Navarrette, Michael Johnston, and Cooper Tomlinson, was acquired by Focus Features out of TIFF Midnight for $15 million-plus for North American and select international rights. Its performance has drawn attention because film festival purchases have generally been sluggish in the post-pandemic market, even as some foreign titles continue to sell strongly at Cannes and other major events. The film’s box office run is being seen as a reminder that genre titles can still deliver exceptional returns when they connect with audiences.
In the United States, Obsession has reached $188.3 million domestically after earning $19 million in total from its current run. The film posted its fourth consecutive weekend of gains relative to its opening frame, a rare pattern for a horror title. Its domestic total is running ahead of The Sixth Sense at a comparable point in release, and the film has already surpassed the domestic totals of Get Out and Star Wars: Mandalorian and Grogu. While it remains behind some of the biggest all-time global earners, its trajectory has made it a standout success story for a lower-budget genre release.
Internationally, the film added $34.1 million in its fifth global weekend, including $15.1 million from 59 international territories. Its overseas total now stands at $98.1 million, with $77.4 million coming from Universal-distributed markets and $20.6 million from non-Universal territories. The movie has been especially strong in several key markets.
In the UK and Ireland, the film earned $2.0 million for the weekend and reached $17.7 million overall, becoming the highest-grossing 18-rated horror title of all time in that market. In India, it remained the top Hollywood film with $1.8 million this weekend and a cumulative total of $8.0 million, making it the third-biggest horror film ever there. In the Middle East, the film earned $1.6 million across the region and has now reached $12.4 million, becoming the second-biggest horror film in that market.
Other strong territories include Mexico, where the film added $1.0 million and reached $6.8 million cumulatively; the Philippines, where it jumped 97% in its third weekend; Israel, where it climbed to $1.8 million; and the Netherlands, where it has reached $3.2 million. Additional gains were reported in Italy, Poland, Turkey, Norway, Argentina, Belgium, and other markets.
Overall, Obsession has emerged as a major international and domestic breakout, strengthening the case for horror films as one of the most efficient and profitable genres in modern theatrical distribution.
