It looks like original horror is taking over the big screen, as in addition to Obsession having another successful weekend, Kane Parson's Backrooms has smashed an A24 record during its opening.
After hitting screens on Friday, May 29, Backrooms grossed a whopping $81.4 million during opening weekend in the US, and over $118 million worldwide, as per BoxOfficeMojo. This marks the biggest opening for an A24 movie ever, almost tripling Civil War's $25.7 million opening. Not only this, but as Backrooms is now the number one movie in the world, meaning that at 20 years old, Parsons is the youngest director ever to hold this title.
As for Obsession, Curry Barker's feature directorial debut continues an almost unprecedented run at the box office. After beating its opening weekend with an impressive second weekend on the big screen, the indie horror has done it again, bringing in $26.4 million in the US during its third weekend. This is a 10% rise from last week, bringing its domestic total to over $104.7 million and $148 million worldwide.
This is bad news for The Mandalorian and Grogu, as despite the new Star Wars movie being the number one film in the US last week when it first premiered, it is now sitting in third place behind Backrooms and Obsession. The new film, which just so happens to be the first Star Wars movie since The Rise of Skywalker seven years ago, saw a 69% drop during its second weekend, pulling in $25 million in the US after earning $81.6 million on opening weekend.
What makes two original horror movies outperforming a major Disney blockbuster even more impressive is that both movies had much smaller budgets. Obsession cost just $750,000 to make, meaning it has made almost 200 times its budget back, making it one of the most profitable movies of all time. Backrooms had a reported budget of $10 million, so it has made just under 12 times its budget back. The two horror movies were also shown in far fewer theaters than the Star Wars flick.
The Mandalorian and Grogu, on the other hand, reportedly cost Disney and LucasFilm $165 million to make, according to Collider. Despite the film earning a huge $246.5 million so far worldwide, its big budget means it has only made its budget back 1.5 times over so far.
For more, check out our guide to movie release dates for 2026, and keep up with new movies and upcoming horror movies heading your way this year and beyond.
