Curry Barker's 'Obsession' becomes Focus Features' highest-grossing film with 224 million dollars worldwide
Los Angeles, June 8
Focus Features' horror-romance film 'Obsession' has become the studio's highest-grossing movie ever, crossing USD 224.7 million at the worldwide box office, Deadline reported.
The film directed by Curry Barker has earned more than USD 224.7 million globally, surpassing Focus Features' previous biggest worldwide hit, Downton Abbey (2019), which collected USD 194.6 million worldwide.
According to Deadline, the film had already become Focus Features' highest-grossing title in the domestic market on May 31. It has now gone past several other major releases in the studio's history to claim the top spot.
Made on a reported budget of just USD 750,000, 'Obsession' was acquired by Focus Features for more than USD 15 million after its screening at the Toronto International Film Festival's Midnight section, Deadline said.
The film, directed by YouTube creator Curry Barker in his feature directorial debut, was first introduced to audiences through festival screenings, including SXSW. The horror-romance has since built strong word-of-mouth among moviegoers and has attracted audiences across different age groups.
The film delivered another strong performance at the box office during its fourth weekend. It collected USD 25.6 million in North America, recording the biggest fourth weekend ever for a horror film and moving ahead of The Blair Witch Project, which earned USD 24.3 million during its fourth weekend in 1999.
Internationally, 'Obsession' added USD 17.7 million during its fourth overseas weekend. The film's worldwide total now stands at USD 224.7 million, including USD 152.1 million from the domestic market and USD 72.6 million from overseas territories.
The movie has also performed strongly in several international markets. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, it has earned USD 13.8 million so far. In India, the film has collected USD 4.4 million, becoming one of the highest-performing Hollywood horror titles in the market.
Meanwhile, 'Obsession' was not the only film making headlines at the box office this weekend. A24's Backrooms became the studio's highest-grossing film worldwide, while Lionsgate's Michael emerged as the company's biggest box-office success globally.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Impressive ROI for Focus Features. $750K budget, $224M gross — that's a massive multiplier. Glad to see original content doing well instead of endless sequels and reboots. The Toronto acclaim clearly helped.
Saw it at PVR last week. The crowd was actually silent during some scenes — rare for an Indian screening! ☺️ The horror-romance blend works surprisingly well. Don't understand the hype about Backrooms though, that one felt overrated.
Would have appreciated if the article mentioned the India release strategy more. $4.4M for a horror film here is huge — but I think dubbed versions and the YouTube creator angle drove those numbers. Curry Barker's fans from his short films definitely helped.
So glad this happened! I remember watching Barker's YouTube shorts years ago. Talent gets noticed eventually. Though I hope he doesn't get swallowed by the studio system and loses his indie edge. The fourth weekend numbers are wild — bigger than Blair Witch!
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