Had A24's Backrooms not broken its own records this past weekend, the near-unbelievable performance of Focus Features' Obsession would have once again dominated headlines. Obsession registered another weekend-to-weekend increase in box-office revenue, following a 40% increase in its sophomore frame. To be clear, every movie that is released in theaters these days is expected to report a decline in revenue over the course of its run, unless it's a tiny indie being given a platform release. Obsession, however, has largely maintained its domestic theater count over the last fortnight. In its third weekend, the horror sensation passed the coveted $100 million mark and became Focus Features' top-grossing domestic release of all time.

One of the biggest mistakes horror franchises make is assuming that a good concept automatically needs a bigger sequel. A successful first movie introduces an idea people are compelled by, audiences respond with overwhelming positivity, and the next installment arrives with a larger budget, higher stakes, and more mythology. Sometimes it works, but other times the ambitions for a bigger sequel stretches a simple premise beyond what made it appealing in the first place. Obsession finds itself in a unique position. The independent horror movie revolves around a deceptively simple idea: a mysterious wish-granting service capable of giving people exactly what they think they want. The horror doesn't come from a masked killer or a supernatural creature stalking its victims, it comes from desire itself. Every wish carries consequences, and every attempt to shortcut happiness creates new problems.

Universal certainly earned flak for its controversial decision to debut certain movies on the PVOD market after 17 days, impacting films such as Halloween Ends, The Holdovers, and Knock at the Cabin. This decision was made around the same time as Warner Bros.' equally controversial move to release every movie on its 2021 slate day-and-date on the HBO Max streaming platform. Universal argued that a given movie would have already generated the majority of its potential box-office revenue within 17 days, especially if it debuted below a certain threshold. Universal has since made major changes to its windowing strategy, having committed to a minimum of four weekends in theaters this year and a five-weekend theatrical run in 2027.

Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Obsession.