Obsession isnāt just a horror hit. Itās doing something at the box office that reportedly hasnāt happened in more than 40 years.
Curry Barkerās Blumhouse horror movie has now risen two weekends in a row, gaining ground in its second weekend and again in its third.
Producer Jason Blum says no movie has pulled that off since E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, released in 1982. For the full picture of how it got here, see ourĀ Obsession box office breakdown.
Obsession Keeps Going Up
According to Blum, Obsession didnāt just hold well after opening weekend, it grew in weekend two, then grew again in weekend three.
That back-to-back climb is what puts the movie in rare company. Blum said no film has pulled off two straight weekend increases since E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, released in 1982.
“No movie has done that, gone up two weekends in a row, since E.T.” said Blum. “It is unbelievable.ā
Blum also shared the run on X, calling it āa fun one.ā
Box Office Analyst Says There Are Almost No Comparisons
Comscore chief box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian said the run caught even him off guard.
āIāve been tracking and analyzing box office for 33 years now, and I thought Iād seen it all until this past weekend with the incredible performance of Obsession that required no caveats,ā Dergarabedian said, via Blum’s post on X. āA second weekend jump nearing 40 percent is virtually unprecedented in the annals of modern box office tracking, and there really is no direct apples-to-apples comparison available.ā
The Obsession run stands out because the movie does more than hold its audience; it adds to it week after week.
Horror Movies Are Usually Front-Loaded
The Obsession box office run is even more impressive because horror usually behaves the opposite way.
Horror fans tend to show up early. The core audience rushes out on opening weekend, word spreads fast, and the second weekend usually brings a steep drop. A 50% to 60% decline is common for the genre.
Obsession is going the other way.
The film grew in its second weekend, then grew again in its third. It beat Disney Star Wars. That points to strong word of mouth, but it also shows how much the movie is breaking from the usual horror pattern.
Curry Barker Becomes A Horror Name To Watch
Obsession comes from Curry Barker, the filmmaker behind the viral horror shorts Milk & Serial and The Chair.
Barker built his audience online before making the jump to theatrical horror, which makes the success of Obsession even more notable.
Itās part of a larger trend where Hollywood is looking at YouTube and online horror filmmakers as a real talent pipeline.
Blumhouse has made a business out of finding low-budget horror with major upside, and Obsession now looks like another win for that model.
Blumhouse Scores Another Low-Budget Horror Win
The success of Obsession also comes during a strong moment for Blumhouse and Atomic Monster.
Blum has been celebrating the fact that low-budget horror can still pack theaters without the massive spending that comes with most studio franchise releases, momentum he now wants to turn into “the Disney of horror.”
The run also comes as Backrooms is performing well, giving Blumhouse and Atomic Monster another reason to take a victory lap.
James Wan, who helped define modern horror with Saw and The Conjuring, also told THR the genre keeps proving its value to the industry.
While expensive franchise movies keep struggling to justify their budgets, horror keeps showing there is still money to be made when the movie connects.
Obsession Has Become A Rare Box Office Story
Obsession has turned into one of 2026ās strangest box office stories.
A horror movie rising in its second weekend is rare. Rising again in its third weekend puts it into historic company, at least according to Blum.
Comparing anything to E.T. is a big swing, but the box office streak is real. Obsession is no longer just another Blumhouse horror success. Itās now a theatrical breakout with a run Hollywood almost never sees anymore.
