‘Obsession’ Sets New Record For Highest-Grossing Film Fest Acquisition

BusinessHollywood & Entertainment‘Obsession’ Sets New Record For Highest-Grossing Film Fest AcquisitionByTim Lammers,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I cover Hollywood and entertainment.Follow AuthorJun 14, 2026, 03:20pm EDTInde Navarrette in "Obsession."Focus FeaturesCurry Barker’s horror movie sensation Obsession set a new record this weekend as it became the highest-grossing film to be acquired by a studio at a film festival.Obsession opened in theaters nationwide on May 15. In the film, an affable music store clerk named Bear (Michael Johnston) has a crush on his co-worker Nikki (Inde Navarrette) but can’t find the courage to tell her. When Nikki tells Bear that she is leaving town in a couple of weeks to start a new life, he buys her a mysterious, new age novelty gift called a “One Wish Willow.”Forbes‘Obsession’ Star Inde Navarrette Discusses Her Spellbinding Performance In Hit Horror ThrillerBy Tim LammersWhen it becomes apparent to Bear that he’s stuck in the friend zone with his crush, he breaks open the gift himself and wishes that Nikki would love him more than anyone in the world. The wish soon comes true, but with unintended consequences because Nikki becomes dangerously obsessed with Bear to the point where things turn deadly.Written and directed by Barker, Obsession also stars Megan Lawless and Barker’s That’s a Bad Idea collaborator Cooper Tomlinson.Obsession, which had a production budget of $750,000, was acquired by Focus Features at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival for about $15 million. It was apparent from the film’s opening weekend gross of $17.1 million domestically that Focus’ investment was going to pay off. After that, Obsession’s business leaped an unprecedented 39% upward in its second weekend in theaters and a 14% jump in weekend three, before taking a mere 7% dip in weekend four.MORE FOR YOUForbes‘Obsession’ Streaming Date Skipped In Favor Of Longer Theatrical-To-...