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THE BOX OFFICE STRIKES BACK: Disney\'s Newest Big Budget Star Wars Movie is Being CRUSHED by an Independent Horror Movie That Cost Next to Nothing to Make
The Gateway Pundit ^ | May 29, 2026 | Mike LaChance

Posted on 05/30/2026 9:17:42 AM PDT by Red Badger

Disney's newest Star Wars movie, 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' just opened in theaters. It cost millions upon millions to make the film and it is absolutely getting its butt kicked by a small, independent horror movie called 'Obsession' which was made for a paltry $750,000.

Of course, $750K is a lot of money, but not by the standards of a Hollywood movie. That's chump change.

Even so, people are flocking to theaters to see 'Obsession' instead of Disney's newest expensive flick.

Star Wars fans have just been burned too many times. Disney basically broke the franchise by using it to push DEI and other woke concepts.

FOX News reports:

Low-budget horror flick 'Obsession' shatters box office expectations as new Star Wars film comes up short

A low-budget horror flick is defying gravity at the box office while the latest big-budget "Star Wars" movie had a rough launch compared to its predecessors.

Focus Features' "Obsession" was made with a microbudget of under $1 million. Initial projections showed it making less than $10 million in its opening weekend. It ended up making over $17 million.

This past weekend, it made roughly $24 million — $30 million when including Memorial Day — a whopping 30% increase from its opening weekend, outpacing much bigger films like "The Devil Wears Prada 2" and the Michael Jackson biopic "Michael." It even outgrossed "The Mandalorian and Grogu" on Wednesday.

Such a bump for a film in its second weekend is nearly unheard of. It has already grossed over $70 million worldwide and is now projected to make more than $100 million during its theatrical run, making it one of the most profitable films of the year.

What’s remarkable about the success of “Obsession” is that it proves that Hollywood star power isn’t always needed to get butts in seats. The director is a 26-year-old content creator named Curry Barker, who is part of the sketch comedy duo “That’s a Bad Idea,” which has over 1 million followers on YouTube and TikTok. Jason Blum, creator of BlumHouse Productions and producer of horror hits like “Get Out,” “Paranormal Activity” and “M3GAN,” only boarded “Obsession” as an executive producer after the film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival last year.

John Nolte of Breitbart News is a longtime critic of Disney. Here’s what he had to say about this:

To be fair, because I don’t want to take anything away from Obsession, that movie is a legitimate phenomenon, the rarest of rarities where word-of-mouth is driving it to increase its box office over time, and is doing so after launching wide. This has only happened a handful of times in the 50-year-old history of wide releases. Obsession is making box office history, and that accomplishment deserves to be recognized and not plowed under as we gloat over the failure of the groomers at Disney.

Nevertheless, Obsession’s astonishing success is its own thing, as is The Mandalorian and Grogu’s deeply satisfying failure.

If the man-hating bigots at Disney hadn’t alienated, insulted, and dismissed Star Wars fans, the piece you are reading right now could’ve been about how both movies are breaking the bank.

Disney just burned too many bridges with movie audiences. They’re reaping what they’ve sown.


TOPICS: Arts/Photography; Business/Economy; Music/Entertainment; TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: budget; disney; hollywood; movies; starwars
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To: delchiante

Bluey is a Blue dog.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluey_(TV_series)


21 posted on 05/30/2026 9:40:06 AM PDT by Red Badger (Iryna Zarutska, May 22, 2002 Kyiv, Ukraine – August 22, 2025 Charlotte, North Carolina Say her name)
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To: Red Badger

Iron Lung, Obsession, Backrooms...

YouTubers can make them better, faster, for far less than Hollyweird.

Hollyweird is screwed.


22 posted on 05/30/2026 9:40:15 AM PDT by mewzilla (Swing away, Mr. President, swing away! 🇺🇸 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿)
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To: Kudsman
I just looked up the "Obsession" trailer. It actually looks pretty good (lots of screaming packed into a couple minutes, though).
23 posted on 05/30/2026 9:40:23 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom ( )
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To: ClearCase_guy
Case in point

Owen & Beru’s final moments together, created by AI, through Star Wars Lost Legends

24 posted on 05/30/2026 9:41:44 AM PDT by Locomotive Breath
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To: mewzilla

In the not to distant future, people will be able to order movies to their liking that do not exist until they order it. AI will kill Hollywood................


25 posted on 05/30/2026 9:41:57 AM PDT by Red Badger (Iryna Zarutska, May 22, 2002 Kyiv, Ukraine – August 22, 2025 Charlotte, North Carolina Say her name)
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To: Red Badger

We saw Pressure yesterday, great movie, very well acted and worth the time to see it. No wokeness at all. However it did downplay a bit the relationship between Esienhower and Kate Somersby.


26 posted on 05/30/2026 9:42:03 AM PDT by Midwesterner53
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To: Mean Daddy

Yep. There are still plenty of good ones out there. Thank goodness I found one that can tolerate me. She is big fun, cute, eats Mexican AND likes campy horror movies. I’m still in love.


27 posted on 05/30/2026 9:42:49 AM PDT by Kudsman (Please Mr. President, unload on Senate Majority leader Thune for not passing voter ID. )
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

See you at the movies! Have fun.


28 posted on 05/30/2026 9:43:35 AM PDT by Kudsman (Please Mr. President, unload on Senate Majority leader Thune for not passing voter ID. )
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To: Red Badger
..The Mandalorian and Grogu’s deeply satisfying failure.

Garbage in; Garbage out

29 posted on 05/30/2026 9:43:59 AM PDT by chief lee runamok (Technical Graduate, Quality Learing Center)
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To: Red Badger

Hollyweird did not have to make it easy.


30 posted on 05/30/2026 9:44:06 AM PDT by mewzilla (Swing away, Mr. President, swing away! 🇺🇸 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿)
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To: Red Badger

I had to look up Obsession on IMDB. It reminded me a little of “Fatal Attraction” without the supernatural element, just an unhinged woman. The trailer didn’t tempt me to want to see “Obsession.” If I had to pick between the two, I would pick Mandalorian. But it ticks me off that I can’s read user reviews anymore unless I log in.


31 posted on 05/30/2026 9:44:29 AM PDT by KittyKares
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To: Red Badger

Thanks.
Preschool kids as a target.

One could predict messy theaters full of little ones in its future if Disney wants to make a few movie theaters only content in the future.


32 posted on 05/30/2026 9:48:04 AM PDT by delchiante
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To: KittyKares

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/obsession_2025


33 posted on 05/30/2026 9:50:03 AM PDT by Red Badger (Iryna Zarutska, May 22, 2002 Kyiv, Ukraine – August 22, 2025 Charlotte, North Carolina Say her name)
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To: mewzilla

They jumped the shark long ago................


34 posted on 05/30/2026 9:50:32 AM PDT by Red Badger (Iryna Zarutska, May 22, 2002 Kyiv, Ukraine – August 22, 2025 Charlotte, North Carolina Say her name)
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To: Red Badger
Of course, $750K is a lot of money, but not by the standards of a Hollywood movie. That's chump change.

Cheap horror flicks have always. been the way for Indies and fledgling filmmakers to get established. John Carpenter probably made HALLOWEEN for $100K, and look what happened there.

As for THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU, reviews have been overwhelmingly negative and frankly the STAR WARS canon has (more than) run its course. Disney killed it a decade ago.

35 posted on 05/30/2026 9:51:16 AM PDT by Rummyfan (Ok In anyq war between the civilized man and the savage, support lthe civilized man.👨 so t tv)
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To: Biblebelter

Err.. so then why are you commenting on a Star Wars article....?


36 posted on 05/30/2026 9:52:04 AM PDT by Cronos (Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.)
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To: Jonty30

That’s the Marvel comic event Secret Invasion. That is a good read


37 posted on 05/30/2026 9:53:44 AM PDT by Cronos (Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.)
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To: Red Badger; ProtectOurFreedom
“The Road” was too sad of an ending..................

The movie based on Cormac McCarthy's book? That was so dark and bleak as to be almost unwatchable. But lhe boy did survive in the end.

38 posted on 05/30/2026 9:55:33 AM PDT by Rummyfan (Ok In anyq war between the civilized man and the savage, support lthe civilized man.👨 so t tv)
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To: Rummyfan

I was 22 when it first came out. I am now 71. Let it die a natural death already.............


39 posted on 05/30/2026 9:55:51 AM PDT by Red Badger (Iryna Zarutska, May 22, 2002 Kyiv, Ukraine – August 22, 2025 Charlotte, North Carolina Say her name)
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To: Kudsman

Good fro you! And her.


40 posted on 05/30/2026 9:57:55 AM PDT by Rummyfan (Ok In anyq war between the civilized man and the savage, support lthe civilized man.👨 so t tv)
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