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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: Red Badger

Saw Mandalorian with grandchildren and it seemed no different than watching some of the episodes on TV. Not worth the cost but I think the grand kids enjoyed it or maybe the popcorn and candy.


61 posted on 05/30/2026 10:46:04 AM PDT by Raycpa
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To: OldHarbor
The Fantastic Four comics, issues #89 through #93, the FF visit Kroll, the Skrull’s home planet after Ben Grimm, (Thing) is captured and forced to fight as a gladiator. This all takes place in a 1930’s America Gangster land setting. Probably one of the best FF story lines.

This story was written by the great Jack Kirby, while Stan Lee edited it and gave himself writer credits.

62 posted on 05/30/2026 10:47:30 AM PDT by Right_Wing_Madman
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

The premise of OBSESSION is ripped off from John Collier’s short story “The Chaser”, which was made into a Twilight Zone episode, and also the movie “Love Potion #9”.


63 posted on 05/30/2026 10:48:19 AM PDT by Orosius
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To: Red Badger
word-of-mouth is driving it to increase its box office over time...

That used to be rare but word of mouth has come to be amplified hugely by social media, which is why certain actors have come to blame Internet bots for the failure of movies that haven't even been released yet. True or not, to state that publicly tends to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. It could be easily avoided by the studios advising the agents to advise their clients to just shut up and let the movie speak for itself. IMHO, of course.

64 posted on 05/30/2026 10:48:45 AM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: OldHarbor

I, too watched the original 3 Star Wars films, way back then. Episode 4, 5, 6. After that, nah. Even Episode 6, with the little furry creatures was getting on the lame side.


65 posted on 05/30/2026 10:52:28 AM PDT by citizen (All Bush-era RINOs have got to be primaried out.)
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To: Biblebelter
I’ll take a bit of pride in saying that.

I understand. One of mine is, "I never saw an episode of MASH." The opening looked too dreary.
66 posted on 05/30/2026 10:57:03 AM PDT by Dr. Sivana ("Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye." (John 2:5))
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To: Red Badger

Space western is a fair anology.

It’s very much a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western with a cowboy who shoots it out with the bad guys.

Unlike so many Disney products, it has no female Mary Sue too perfect female protagonist. In fact, there are no female characters of note.

It’s actually a great, good morals, strong masculine values movie.

I enjoyed it greatly


67 posted on 05/30/2026 10:57:03 AM PDT by TheThirdRuffian (Orange is the new brown)
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To: cpdiii

They brought the original formula back for this movie


68 posted on 05/30/2026 10:59:09 AM PDT by TheThirdRuffian (Orange is the new brown)
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To: Red Badger

I don’t like horror movies. I go to the movies to be entertained, not grossed out. So, I don’t go much anymore at all.


69 posted on 05/30/2026 11:09:54 AM PDT by libertylover (The HBM (Has Been Media) is almost all AGENDA-DRIVEN and HATE-DRIVEN, not-truth driven)
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To: Biblebelter
I’ve NEVER seen a Star Wars movie. ... I’ll take a bit of pride in saying that.

I think I saw the first 3. The original one was excellent. After that, they deteriorated quickly.

70 posted on 05/30/2026 11:12:35 AM PDT by libertylover (The HBM (Has Been Media) is almost all AGENDA-DRIVEN and HATE-DRIVEN, not-truth driven)
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To: Cronos

It’s free country.

Got the right to gloat, don’t I?

My German heritage kicked in, it’s called schadenfreude.


71 posted on 05/30/2026 11:14:31 AM PDT by Biblebelter
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To: Dr. Sivana

Saw the movie not the TV show.

I kinda liked the movie but I’m a sucker for anything Elliot Gould did even the clunkers which he did his share of.

He is still out there doing his schtick in the Lincoln Lawyer of which I just finished season 3.


72 posted on 05/30/2026 11:20:11 AM PDT by Biblebelter
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

Horror films are a pretty weird niche product. There is a durable market for them, and I suspect that has to with the teens and early 20’s peeps who haven’t outgrown jump scares and gore.


73 posted on 05/30/2026 11:23:35 AM PDT by sphinx
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To: Red Badger

A fair bit of the audience for the Mandalorian’s first season didn’t appreciate the firing of conservative Gina Carano for her political opinions. I’ll bet a good bit of the drop in ratings for the second season through the present is due to that.


74 posted on 05/30/2026 11:28:58 AM PDT by Bruce Campbells Chin
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To: OldHarbor

Will check that out. Thanks.


75 posted on 05/30/2026 11:44:52 AM PDT by HYPOCRACY (There is no gravity. The earth just sucks. )
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To: Wayne07

Thank you for providing the numbers. Break even is around $400M.
You’d think the Disney shareholders would get tired of their movies bleeding money, but I guess not


76 posted on 05/30/2026 11:44:58 AM PDT by j.havenfarm (25 years on Free Republic, 12/10/25! More than 12,750 replies and still not shutting up!)
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To: Biblebelter
Got the right to gloat, don’t I?

About what? You haven't seen any of them so you don't know if any of them are any good or not.

77 posted on 05/30/2026 12:09:46 PM PDT by Poison Pill
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To: Poison Pill

About what?

Gloat about the headline, duh.

Disney\’s Newest Big Budget Star Wars Movie is Being CRUSHED by an Independent Horror Movie That Cost Next to Nothing to Make,


78 posted on 05/30/2026 12:14:44 PM PDT by Biblebelter
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To: Red Badger

That horror movie is on my list now.


79 posted on 05/30/2026 12:16:35 PM PDT by Mark (I enjoy checking DONORS' lists)
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To: OldHarbor

Since he rarely, if ever takes off his armor, he’s the Malodorian


80 posted on 05/30/2026 12:17:43 PM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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