Obsession is still today one of the year’s biggest surprise box office successes, making more than USD 75 million worldwide, with a budget of just USD 1 million.
From the director Curry Barker, the psychological horror thriller has recently garnered interest from horror fans and critics, due to its dark story premise and spectacular box office performance. The film was released internationally on May 14, and its Indian debut is scheduled for May 29.
Due to its tight performance on the stage, there have been reports that some people speculate Obsession made a much earlier digital debut than anticipated and that it will soon land on digital video-on-demand (VOD) platforms. According to several reports, the film could be launched on June 2, 2026, including an unrated version as its sixth playdate.
But news from the filmmakers to the digital stage is being withheld, it seems as yet awaiting an official release date. The film has also been rumoured to stream later this summer on Peacock for subscribers as the company enters into a distribution deal between Blumhouse Productions and Universal Pictures on the ground.
An earmarked OTT release later has put fans talking as the film continues to enjoy good theatre-going conditions. Responding to the question, Blumhouse founder Jason Blum reportedly gave the latest speculation in October regarding the long-running, most recent time that the movie had the opportunity to go to theatres was in the early going, as the response to the movie was so overwhelming.
Jason Blum says he believes in a long and lasting theatrical window and interviewed it in Variety. He said he was glad the audience would back the theatre experience instead of forcing an instant streaming show.
Moviegoers value watching movies on film and aren’t afraid to forego the convenience of home viewing to pay for local theatres, Blum said. His remarks imply, according to the source, that even with internet headlines of a speedily released film, the makers will probably keep focusing the production on a large theatrical success if the momentum stays up there.
Obsession’s early digital arrival fuelled speculation that has to do with Blumhouse’s release plan. To that end, Blumhouse movies with earnings under USD 50 million are often given a limited 17-day time period before they are launched to digital screens, according to reports. Films over the USD 50 million mark have a run of at least 31 days in theatres.
The industry standard at large is generally still something like around 45 days to the general level. Obsession has already shattered the USD 75 million threshold around the world but even more so to a broader audience, and analysts say the film should ideally be shown in theatres longer once released on OTT and VOD networks, and because Obsession is already on the global movie-watch list, I also hear industry analysts are suggesting it ideally has to wait longer than that for its box office surge to become a lucrative OTT film for OTT and VOD.
But actual decision-making is likely to be in a company-to-date dependent on the film’s ongoing box office receipts in both America and overseas. The film features Michael Johnston as Bear, Inde Navarrette as Nikki, Cooper Tomlinson and Andy Richter in secondary roles.
The film's official synopsis tells the story of an imperfect romance as a hopeless bachelor who breaks a wooden object called the “One Wish Willow” in an attempt to woo his crush. But as soon as he achieves everything he wanted, he finds that some urges are horrific, even sinister, in their implications.
Obsession had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in the Midnight Madness section before it hit theatres. The movie was relaunched at festivals, including Fantastic Fest and South by Southwest and got a lot of hype among horror lovers. Obsession has become as much of one of them; it has a phenomenal box office reception as much as critics have, and fans still await its digital release and are now among the best horror films of 2026.
