This mid-July U.S. domestic box office provided a weekend of major milestones. In addition, there are cautionary tales and even an unprecedented history making story unfolding. We saw a major Disney tentpole hit the pole position. However, a tiny indie horror phenomenon continues to write another chapter in the box office history books.
Disney’s live-action remake of Moana topped the box office charts, taking in $43 million domestically. A win is a win, but the studio may be feeling some anxiety. Original projections were for a $60 million opening weekend. Some are wondering whether the 10-year window between the 2016 animated classic and this live-action retelling was simply too short. Furthermore, Moana 2 dominated theaters less than two years ago. By dominated, we point to Moana 2’s opening weekend gross of $135.5 million (3-day Friday-Sunday). That sequel opened over the 2024 Thanksgiving holiday and capitalized on years of heavy streaming popularity of the original on Disney+. It took in $225 million over that 5-day holiday opening in 2024.
Meanwhile, family-friendly holdovers Minions & Monsters ($20.5 million) and Toy Story 5 ($18.5 million, now crossing the coveted $400 million mark domestically) kept holding strong, while Warner Bros.’ new horror sequel Evil Dead Burn spooked up a respectable fourth-place debut at $13.7 million.
‘Obsession’: The Little Movie That Could (and Did)
While the blockbusters fought for the spotlight, the real story of the weekend belongs to Universal’s Obsession, which landed at #7 in its ninth week of release, pulling in another $3.8 million.
To understand why this is a massive deal, look at the numbers: Obsession was written and directed by YouTuber Curry Barker on a shoestring micro-budget of just $750,000. Nine weeks later, it has officially cleared $253 million domestically and over $426 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film in cinema history with a budget under $1 million.
Obsession star Inde Navarrette celebrated by attending Sunday’s New York Mets game.
"No, no, no, don't do that! I thought we were having a nice date!"
— MLB (@MLB) July 13, 2026
Obsession's Inde Navarrette was at today's Mets game 🐱 pic.twitter.com/Hq0Dbvv2GY
Why is it breaking records?
Obsession has officially eclipsed heavyweights like Get Out and Paranormal Activity to become the highest-grossing original horror film of the 21st century (not based on any existing IP or book).
The film’s plot—centered on a guy named Bear (Michael Johnston) who makes an ill-fated wish for his crush Nikki (Inde Navarrette) to fall in love with him—sparked a viral word-of-mouth wave in May that never truly crashed. Even as Obsession prepares to make its physical media debut on July 14 and hit Peacock streaming on July 17, audiences are still paying to see it on the big screen. It dropped a minuscule 27% from last weekend, showing legs that most studio executives would sell their souls for.
What’s Next?
The summer box office shows no signs of slowing down. Next weekend, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is projected to make a massive splash with an opening tracking upwards of $100 million.
