Original Horror Is Killing Big Budget Films

“Backrooms” may be the biggest horror headline of the week, but “Obsession” is creating its own box office madness. The Curry Barker-directed horror thriller is…

“Backrooms” may be the biggest horror headline of the week, but “Obsession” is creating its own box office madness.

The Curry Barker-directed horror thriller is refusing to slow down. In a rare and stunning trend, “Obsession” made more money in its third weekend than it did in its first two weekends.

The film opened with $17 million in its debut weekend. Instead of dropping, it jumped to $23 million in its second weekend. Now, in its third weekend, it has scared up an even bigger $26.4 million.

With this, “Obsession” has crossed the $100 million mark at the domestic box office. Worldwide, the film has already collected a massive $148 million.

This is an extraordinary achievement for a film reportedly made on a tiny budget of just $750,000.

Box office analysts say “Obsession” has now become Focus Features’ highest-grossing film ever at the domestic box office. Even more impressively, outside the Christmas season, it is the first film since 1982 to grow at the box office in both its second and third weekends.

The last film to achieve such a rare feat was Steven Spielberg’s “E.T.”

This weekend, “Backrooms” and “Obsession” took the top two spots at the domestic box office, pushing the big-budget “Star Wars” film “The Mandalorian and Grogu” behind them.

That means Blumhouse-Atomic Monster currently has the top two films in the United States, both of them original horror films; “Backrooms” for A24 and “Obsession” for Focus Features.

“Obsession” has also become the lowest-budget horror film to top the North American box office since “Paranormal Activity” in 2009, the film that launched Blumhouse into the big league.

Focus Features reportedly acquired “Obsession” for around $15 million, and the film is already delivering huge profits.

The story follows a hopeless romantic who breaks the mysterious One Wish Willow to win his crush’s heart. He gets exactly what he asked for, but soon realises that some desires come with a dark and terrifying price.

The film stars Inde Navarrette of “Superman & Lois” fame and Michael Johnston of “Teen Wolf.”

With its historic box office run, “Obsession” has proved that original horror is not just alive; it is killing the competition.