That new Star Wars movie may have found itself at the top of the box office this weekend, but it’s not the film everyone is talking about. No, that distinction goes to the number two movie at the box office, Obsession, for several very good reasons. Historic reasons.
While Obsession grossed a very respectable $17-plus million on its opening weekend last week, it made almost $24 million this past weekend. That means it actually went up on its second weekend, a feat that is incredibly rare. The last time it happened was 2023’s Sound of Freedom, which actually went up not just in its second weekend but again in its third. (In that case, there were reports that some groups were buying out theaters just for the good headlines, but that’s a whole other story.)
Basically, it’s been three years since any movie has accomplished this incredible achievement. Think about all the movies that have come out in that time. Every single one of them—every 2024 release, every 2025 release, etc.—has had its highest gross on its opening weekend and then seen that number go down. In fact, most studios these days celebrate drops that are less than 50%. A drop of like 30% is considered a huge win because studios prioritize opening weekend. Get as many butts in seats as possible as soon as possible. Spend all the marketing money to open the movie and then let it ride its wave. A wave that, almost every single time, drops from week to week.
But Obsession went up. And why is that? Well, for one thing, it’s freaking incredible. And, if you’re an io9 reader, you knew that already. We told you in our review last year, we told you when we predicted the year ahead in movies, and we told you with every single trailer release. Oh, and we told you when we spoke to writer-director Curry Barker and stars Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette. Read the interviews at those links!
But, of course, we weren’t the only ones screaming out great Obsession is. The film has an incredibly impressive 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and has sparked the kind of social media buzz and word-of-mouth movie studios dream of. Our social media feed has been nothing but people reacting to Obsession, debating it, dissecting it, and more for the past two weeks. All for a movie that cost around $1 million to make (which Focus then bought the rights to for over $15 million). It’s almost certainly going to make over $100 million and become one of the most buzzed-about and successful horror films in recent memory. Scratch that. Not just “horror films.” “Films” in general.
So, have you become obsessed with Obsession yet? Let us know below.
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