Michael and The Devil Wears Prada 2 may be dominating theaters this month, but that doesn’t mean other movies aren’t hitting with audiences.
Take Obsession, one of the weekend’s big new releases. Per Variety, Curry Barker’s horror film opened to $23.1 million worldwide. The majority of it came from North America, making almost double industry projections and one of 2026’s biggest domestic start for a horror movie behind Send Help ($19.1 million) and Iron Lung ($17.8 million). Word of mouth was a big help in getting domestic audiences to see it, helped by a strong marketing campaign that includes a website for the One Wish Willow that kicks the off the film’s plot. (No, you can’t buy it, and from the sound of things, this is a good thing for everyone.) For a movie that reportedly cost “$750,000 max” to make, the movie’s more than made its money back and then some.
Received with SPECTACULAR WOM, #Focus’ R-rated horror romcom #Obsession almost doubled industry’s projections at US #BoxOffice!
The original horror directed by YouTuber #CurryBarker grossed SPECTACULAR 16.1M on 3-day Opening weekend (vs #Companion’s 9.3M, #TalkToMe’s 10.4M,… pic.twitter.com/nbGaDPpTVt
— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) May 17, 2026
Even before it came out, Obsession seemed primed to be a standout among 2026’s early horror slate. It’s not just its positive reception now and at film festivals, it’s also that Barker’s got a built-in audience thanks to his past YouTube sketch comedy days and his directorial debut Milk & Serial. And he’s not stopping here: Barker’s sticking with horror for the near future, starting with Anything but Ghosts—which he’ll star in alongside his sketch comedy partner Cooper Tomlinson and Aaron Paul—and continuing with A24’s movie revival for Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Coming up this month, we’ve got The Mandalorian and Grogu on May 22, followed by Backrooms to things out on May 29. Even if Obsession gets buried under those two, it’s already won, and for many, will probably be deemed one of 2026’s best movies.
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