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How a tiny ₹7 crore film became 2026's biggest hit; beat Michael, Project Hail Mary, Dhurandhar 2 with 10000% profit
An indie horror film, made by newcomers on a shoestring budget, has outperformed some of the biggest blockbusters of the year.
The year 2026 has been a golden one for the box office worldwide. While India has had the sensational Dhurandhar 2, Hollywood, too, has given big hits like Michael, Project Hail Mary, and the The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Collectively, these four films have grossed over $2.5 billion worldwide. Yet, none of them is the most profitable film this year. That record belongs to a film that is still running in theatres, and has already earned 100x its budget.
The biggest box office hit of 2026
Writer-director Curry Barker’s independent horror film, Obsession, is arguably the biggest success story at theatres this year. The film, which released earlier this month, has been going from strength to strength at the box office, minting more money each week. Made on a shoestring budget of $750K (around ₹7 crore), it has already grossed $80 million (over ₹750 crore) worldwide. That is a profit of over 10000%, the highest for any film this year.
Obsession has completed just over ten days in theatres, but is surprisingly picking up pace now. It earned $22 million in North America in its second weekend, up from $16 million in its opening weekend. Despite its limited scale of release, it is a hit overseas as well, earning $21 million outside North America. Obsession is steadily moving in on the $100 million mark. Once it crosses that, it will only be the third sub-million-dollar film to earn over $100 million, after Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project.
How Obsession beat Michael and Project Hail Mary
Obsession has a landing cost of under $1 million. It has already grossed a 100 times that, and will only add more as it continues to generate buzz globally. In comparison, Michael has so far earned $788 million, just 5 times its budget. Project Hail Mary has earned $675 million, about 3 times its budget. Non Hollywood blockbusters have done better. Chinese sports comedy, made on a budget of $40 million, has earned over 16 times that ($650 million), while Bollywood actioner Dhurandhar 2 has made $200 million, roughly 17 times its budget of around $12 million. Obsession’s low budget has helped it eclipse these much bigger films.
All about Obsession
Written, directed, and edited by Curry Barker, Obsession stars Michael Johnston as Bear, a music store employee who buys a supernatural toy that grants him his wish for his childhood friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette) to fall in love with him, resulting in horrifying consequences. Obsession premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival before a theatrical release on May 15. It has received positive reviews.
