Overview
- Obsession has passed $200 million worldwide and become Focus Features’ highest‑grossing film after an unusually small fourth‑weekend decline that set a new record for a horror hold.
- Backrooms opened with a historic A24 debut, posting a roughly $81.4 million domestic weekend and joining the year’s top horror earners through strong initial turnout.
- Steven Spielberg publicly congratulated both filmmakers, saying he loved Obsession and praising the films’ low budgets, and director Ram Gopal Varma issued a detailed endorsement of Obsession’s editing and sound work.
- Both films were made for modest sums—Obsession reported around $750,000 and Backrooms under $10 million—and used viral, participatory campaigns and creators’ online followings to drive repeat viewings and strong word‑of‑mouth.
- Studios are responding by delaying planned digital releases, competing for the directors’ next projects, and weighing new marketing and release strategies that favor original, low‑cost horror with built‑in social audiences.