Curry Barker’s Obsession delivered an unusually strong second weekend at the box office, making $23.9 million after opening with $17.1 million. That 39 percent increase is highly rare for a wide-release horror film and has drawn attention across the industry. Producer Jason Blum called it the “ONLY” wide-release horror movie on record to rise by that margin, noting that such growth “doesn’t happen in horror.” Including Memorial Day Monday, the film’s global total has reached $68.3 million.
Box office comparisons suggest just how unusual this performance is. For wide releases opening on more than 2,500 screens and then growing 35 to 40 percent in weekend two, only a few titles have done similarly, including Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Migration, and a re-release of Monster’s, Inc.. But the article says Obsession is still “largely unprecedented” because it joins a tiny group of movies that have meaningfully expanded their audience after release rather than fading in the second weekend.
The closest recent comparison is Sound of Freedom, which also posted a 39 percent second-weekend increase. It opened with $19.6 million over the July 4, 2023 frame and then earned $27.2 million in its second weekend. That film eventually became a major breakout, finishing with roughly $250 million worldwide. However, the two films are not being compared as similar in subject matter or audience appeal. Sound of Freedom became a political flashpoint and benefited from controversy, while Obsession is being viewed mainly as an example of extraordinary word of mouth for a low-budget horror title with no major stars.
There are also important differences in release patterns. Sound of Freedom added 413 screens in week two, while Obsession added only 40. At the same time, Obsession may have received a Memorial Day holiday boost, while Sound of Freedom had the advantage of a July 4 launch. Even with those caveats, the comparison underscores how rare it is for a film to gain momentum so dramatically in its second weekend.
The movie’s trajectory now raises bigger questions about its final domestic total. It has already reached 3.5 times its opening weekend and could continue climbing if its momentum holds. If it ultimately performed like Sound of Freedom on a multiple basis, it could theoretically reach around $160 million domestically, though that is considered an aggressive projection. More realistically, it is now in position to become one of Blumhouse’s biggest hits ever. If it surpasses $107 million domestically, it would move ahead of the original Paranormal Activity and enter Blumhouse’s top five domestic earners, behind only Glass, Split, the Halloween reboot, and Get Out.
While it is too early to compare Curry Barker to Jordan Peele, the article argues that Obsession has already done something even some top-tier horror hits have failed to do: grow in its second weekend instead of falling.
