Marvel's May release date has gone to 'Ghostbusters meets Hereditary' from the director of Obsession
Focus Features will kick off the summer movie season with a Curry Barker film — and the release date is locked in.
If you thought the biggest box office phenomenon of the year would be some franchise juggernaut, think again. Obsession, the debut feature from Curry Barker, quietly snowballed into a global smash — all with a budget so tiny you’d think it was a typo. We’re talking less than a million dollars spent, $519 million banked worldwide. Not bad for a first go, is it?
Obsession was made for under $1 million but raked in $519 million at cinemas worldwide.
It seems Focus Features are feeling rather bullish about Barker now. They’ve just slotted his second film right at the front of next summer’s movie calendar, which if you know anything about release schedules, is practically Hollywood’s version of rolling out the red carpet.
‘Anything but Ghosts’: What’s Cooking?
So, Barker’s follow-up is titled Anything but Ghosts, and it’s set for UK and US cinemas on 7 May 2027. Focus handles it at home, Universal Pictures takes charge overseas. It’s being cooked up by Blumhouse Productions and Atomic Monster, which almost guarantees a certain polished chaos.
- The story’s a horror-comedy caper about two fake paranormal investigators who, shock horror, meet actual ghosts. You get a bit of Ghostbusters but without the self-serious franchise baggage.
- Barker’s back in front of the camera this time too — starring alongside his long-time mate Cooper Tomlinson (who you might remember as Ian in Obsession).
- Their co-stars are rather flash: Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World), Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), and Violet McGraw (M3GAN).
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The whole thing was formally announced on 4 September 2025, which, if you’re counting, was just a day before Obsession even had its splashy premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Barker and Tomlinson themselves gave everyone the release date heads-up.
A Release Date with Teeth
Universal’s put Anything but Ghosts in a rather prime slot: the first big weekend in May. That’s the date Marvel has jealously clung to, year after year, for their tentpoles. Only in 2027, Marvel’s letting it go — their only contribution (Avengers: Secret Wars) isn’t due until December. You don’t see that happen every day.
Originally, this May 7 slot was a bit crowded. Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda and the sequel to The Passion of the Christ (this one's subtitled The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One) both wanted a piece. Now, Zelda has been nudged up a week to 30 April, and Christ: Part One slides in just ahead on 6 May. Cue Anything but Ghosts, now opening directly opposite Beach Read from 20th Century Studios — adaptation of Emily Henry’s novel. Worth noting, the same slot worked wonders for Devil Wears Prada 2 last year, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Beach Read cleans up with the same crowd.
If nothing else, this is a very different start to blockbuster season: horror-comedy squaring off against a rom-com. Not your usual superhero fare, but maybe that’s a sign of what Gen-Z audiences actually want now. Barker and Tomlinson finished filming back between March and April 2026, just before Obsession’s own release gave everyone something to talk about.
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