Even Steven Spielberg Can’t Stop Raving About ‘Obsession,’ the $750K Horror That’s Rewriting Box Office History

The summer of 2026 has quietly become the season of the underdog, and horror is leading the charge. Amid the usual parade of franchise tentpoles and sequel fatigue, two low-budget fright films have done something the industry rarely witnesses, genuinely breaking the logic of box office mathematics.

‘Obsession,’ directed by 26-year-old YouTuber-turned-filmmaker Curry Barker, was shot in just 20 days on a budget of under $750,000. Barker built his following through a YouTube sketch comedy channel before pivoting to horror, gaining traction with the micro-budget short ‘Milk and Serial,’ which went viral and first put him on Hollywood’s radar.

The real turning point came when ‘Obsession’ premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025, sparking a bidding war that Focus Features ultimately won by acquiring the film for approximately $15 million. That figure was reportedly the highest price ever paid for a genre film in TIFF history, with Blumhouse Productions coming aboard shortly after. The film centers on a character named Bear, whose supernatural wish for his childhood friend Nikki to fall in love with him comes true at a deeply disturbing cost.

Now the man behind ‘Jaws’ and ‘Jurassic Park’ has made his feelings clear. While promoting his upcoming release ‘Disclosure Day,’ Spielberg sat down with Pop Drop on the red carpet and offered an enthusiastic endorsement of both ‘Obsession’ and the A24-backed ‘Backrooms.’ Speaking to CinemaBlend, Spielberg said he was thrilled for both filmmakers, marveling at how little money each production had to work with. He confirmed he had personally watched ‘Obsession’ and summed up his verdict simply, saying he loved it.

The numbers that prompted that admiration are difficult to argue with. ‘Obsession’ has now grossed nearly $225 million worldwide against its sub-million-dollar budget, and it broke a box office record not seen outside the holiday season since Spielberg’s own ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,’ becoming the first film since that 1982 classic to increase ticket sales in its second and third weekends. The film holds a 95 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, an 8.1 on IMDb, and an A-minus CinemaScore, all remarkable figures for the horror genre.

Abhijay Prakash, president of Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, called the current moment a genuine turning point for the industry, noting that the studio had long championed original horror aimed at younger audiences and had been actively seeking up-and-coming YouTube talent. Barker himself admitted that when he made the film, he had no idea what was going to happen. He is already developing his follow-up, ‘Anything But Ghosts,’ set in the same universe and starring Aaron Paul and Bryce Dallas Howard.

What began as a festival sleeper has become a genuine cultural event, with a Hollywood legend now on record saying he loved it. If you have seen ‘Obsession,’ share in the comments what you made of the ending, and whether you think Spielberg’s endorsement will be enough to push it past the $200 million mark.