Obsession Becomes Focus Features’ Biggest Hit Ever, Minting Massive Profits

Every now and then, the film industry coughs up something so outlandish – financially speaking – that even the money men can’t quite believe their spreadsheets. Case in point: Curry Barker’s horror-romance Obsession, a micro-budget film that’s somehow left big studio tentpoles eating its dust – and not just for horror, but for any film out of Focus Features, ever.

Shattering Focus Features’ All-Time Record

Let’s get this straight: Obsession was made for less than a million dollars. Yet, as of now, it’s brought in a staggering $224.7 million across the globe. Yes, that’s with an ‘m’ – nearly a quarter of a billion. That’s not just a good return, it’s the sort of number execs fantasise about in their sleep.

The previous record-holder for Focus Features was that period-drama behemoth Downton Abbey back in 2019, which did a healthy $194.6 million. Sounds like a lot… until this film came along and made it look cute by comparison.

Domestic and Overseas Breakdown

• Domestic box office: $152.1 million and still climbing.
• International (57 territories, 6,825 screens): $72.6 million to date.
• Biggest international markets so far:
  • UK & Ireland: $13.8 million (blowing past Longlegs)
  • India: $4.4 million (eighth highest-grossing MPA horror release there)
  • Australia: $8.7 million (outpacing Nosferatu and Scream 7)
  • France: $6.3 million (ahead of both The Substance and Nosferatu)
  • UAE: $3.5 million (fourth among MPA horror titles)
  • Saudi Arabia: $900,000 this weekend, barely dipping even with Eid holidays over

  Not bad for a film Focus snapped up for just over $15 million after its TIFF Midnight slot, is it? They didn’t sit on it, either; they went for festival play, including SXSW, and sprinkled in a marketing campaign with those ‘lovey’ Post-It notes from the character Nikki (apparently those things caught on, somehow).

  Fourth Weekend – Still Breaking Records

  Here’s where numbers get properly silly. In its fourth domestic weekend – usually where even the hits nosedive – Obsession roped in another $25.6 million. That’s a minuscule 7% drop from the previous weekend, unheard of in this genre. For context: the previous record for a horror film’s fourth weekend was set by The Blair Witch Project (£24.3 million, all those years ago). That number has officially been booted into history.

  Who’s Actually Watching This?

  Even more bizarre: it’s not just the popcorn-munching Gen Z folks turning up. Audiences from the TikTok crowd all the way to people in their 50s are flocking to see Obsession in cinemas, even as the film keeps expanding globally.