The year 2026 is full of big budget movies. Michael (Michael Jackson biopic) cost a lot. Project Hail Mary starring Ryan Gosling had a huge budget. India’s own Dhurandhar 2 with Ranveer Singh also spent big money. But none of them is the most profitable film of the year.
A tiny horror movie made for just ₹7 crore (USD $750,000) has beaten them all. The film is called Obsession. It has earned over ₹750 crore (USD $80 million) worldwide in only ten days. That is a profit of more than 10,000%.
How a $750K Indie Film Made 100 Times Its Money
Obsession released in theatres on May 15, 2026. It first showed at the Toronto International Film Festival. No one expected what happened next.
The film earned $16 million in North America during its opening weekend. But the real surprise came in week two. The movie made $22 million in its second weekend. That is higher than the opening week numbers. This rarely happens in the movie business.
Worldwide, Obsession has collected $21 million from international markets. The total global earnings stand at $80 million as of May 24, 2026. With Memorial Day weekend still going, the numbers keep rising.
The movie cost less than $1 million to make. Writer-director Curry Barker made the film in just 20 days. He also edited the movie himself.
Obsession Box Office Numbers vs Michael, Project Hail Mary and Dhurandhar 2
Here is how the profit numbers compare:
- Michael: Made $788 million worldwide. But the budget was huge. The profit is only about 5 times the cost.
- Project Hail Mary: Earned $675 million globally. The budget crossed $200 million. So the return is roughly 3 times the investment.
- Dhurandhar 2: The Ranveer Singh action film collected over $200 million (roughly ₹1,768 crore) worldwide. It made about 17 times its budget of around $12 million.
- Obsession: Made 100 times its budget in just ten days. The profit percentage is 10,000%. No other 2026 release comes close.
“The biggest box office hit of 2026… Obsession is arguably the biggest success story at theatres this year.” – Hindustan Times
The movie is now approaching the $100 million mark. If it crosses that number, Obsession will become only the third film made for under $1 million to achieve this feat. The other two are Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project.
What Is Obsession About? Plot and Cast Details
Obsession is a supernatural horror film. The story follows Bear, played by Michael Johnston. He works at a music store. Bear buys a strange toy that can grant wishes. He wishes for his childhood friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette) to fall in love with him.
The wish comes true. But the results are horrifying. Dark things start to happen. The movie shows that some desires have a very sinister price.
The film runs for 1 hour and 48 minutes. It has an R rating. Critics have given it strong reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, Obsession holds a 96% Tomatometer score. The audience popcornmeter is at 94%. The movie also scored an A- grade on CinemaScore.
Curry Barker is only 26 years old. He used to make YouTube videos before directing this hit. He wrote, directed, and edited the entire film.
Why Obsession Is Winning at the Box Office
The movie is still playing in theatres. It is slowly moving toward the $100 million club. The strong word-of-mouth is bringing more people to cinemas each week.
The film opened against big competition. The Mandalorian and Grogu, The Devil Wears Prada 2, and other major releases were playing at the same time. But Obsession kept growing.
Dhurandhar 2 collected over ₹1,700 crore worldwide and became a massive hit in India. But in terms of return on investment, the small horror film wins by a huge margin.
Industry experts say Obsession proves you do not need a big budget to make a hit. You just need a story that connects with people. The movie continues to add more money each day. The final number could go much higher than $100 million.
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