The summer movie season is in full swing, and there have been some surprising results at the box office so far. Traditional summer tentpoles — the big-budget genre films that typically drive ticket sales this time of year — have underwhelmed. The Mandalorian and Grogu posted the lowest opening for a Disney-era Star Wars movie before suffering a massive drop-off, and Masters of the Universe opened below soft expectations. Meanwhile, indie horror movies have been the main attraction. Backrooms and Obsession have broken records during their runs, with the latter now accomplishing a feat that many would have thought impossible just a few weeks ago.
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As of this writing, Obsession has grossed $161.2 million at the domestic box office (via Box Office Mojo), while The Mandalorian and Grogu stands at $158.3 million. This means that a horror movie budgeted at just $750,000 is going to outgross the first new Star Wars movie in seven years in the United States. Globally, the two films are somewhat close, but Mandalorian has the edge ($296.1 million to $234.5 million).
How Did Obsession Outgross The Mandalorian and Grogu?
Horror has always been a reliable commercial draw (one only has to look at last year’s box office numbers for proof), but even the genre’s biggest fans probably didn’t see this coming. The Mandalorian and Grogu was never projected to be one of the highest-grossing Star Wars movies of all time, but it’s still a major studio release that came out over a holiday weekend. Historically, those have fared pretty well. It was only last Memorial Day when Disney enjoyed the lucrative run of Lilo & Stitch. Again, $1 billion was an unrealistic bar to set for The Mandalorian and Grogu, but the combination of Star Wars’ return to the big screen and family appeal seemed to set it up nicely for a healthy run.
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In contrast, Obsession was much smaller in terms of scale and was probably originally envisioned as a counter-programming option for horror fans during the summer months. It made some headlines during last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, but before its theatrical release, nobody expected it to be a massive hit. Then, a funny thing happened. As The Mandalorian and Grogu earned a lukewarm reception, enthusiastic word of mouth for Obsession spread like wildfire. With its captivating hook and a star-making performance at its center, Obsession organically became a must-see moviegoing event, holding extremely well over its first few weeks of release. A sense of FOMO fueled ticket sales, especially because people feel the film is best experienced with a crowd.
Of the two, The Mandalorian and Grogu is the film that’s more classically “made for the big screen” (especially considering its IMAX release), but the word of mouth was never there. Unlike fellow sci-fi film Project Hail Mary, which was receiving “masterpiece” buzz months before its debut (leading to record-breaking box office numbers), the conversation around The Mandalorian and Grogu was far more muted. The movie was let down by an underwhelming marketing campaign (particularly in the early going), and then the reviews painted it as a fun yet disposable pulpy Star Wars adventure. Those who have actually seen it seem to enjoy it, but general moviegoers felt they c…
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