By now, nobody can avoid the unstoppable obsession with Obsession. The indie horror movie, made for only $750,000 dollars by a first-time filmmaker, Curry Barker, has not only been one of the most well-reviewed films of 2026, but it’s also one of the most profitable. As of July 6, Obsession has made $400 million worldwide, according to several reports, including one from Gizmodo. The knee-jerk response here is, of course, that Obsession must be the most profitable indie horror movie of all time, and that Barker has invented a new way of printing money in the movie-making game. Right?
Well, yes and no. While Obsession’s success is surprising in today’s landscape — and proves that going to see movies in person is not a generational issue — the idea that a low-budget indie horror movie can get to nearly half a billion at the box office isn’t new. Obsession is breaking recent records to be sure, but it hasn’t broken one indie horror record yet.
