All posts tagged: BoxOffice

How an indie horror film became a box-office ‘Obsession’

How an indie horror film became a box-office ‘Obsession’

Published by Sam Flores

Curry Barker, a 26-year-old YouTuber-turned-filmmaker, made his horror film “Obsession” in just 20 days on a mere $750,000 budget. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. Now, after its second weekend in theaters, the Focus Features-distributed movie is on track to earn more than 100 times that amount, with an expected $79.7 million haul at the global box office, according to Box Office Mojo, which tracks global theatrical totals. Of that projected total, $58.5 million came from North American theaters. (Focus Features is a unit of NBC News’ parent corporation, Comcast.) It’s a feat that even horror film genre heavyweight Jason Blum, who was an executive producer on the film, said is rare. “Obsession is the ONLY wide-release horror film on record to grow in its second weekend at this scale — $22.4M, up 30% over opening,” Blum wrote Sunday on X. “This doesn’t happen in horror.” The movie is the latest project from a YouTuber to surpass industry expectations. “Iron Lung” — a self-financed indie video …

Dhurandhar: The box-office juggernaut that shows hypermasculine nationalism still sells in India

Dhurandhar: The box-office juggernaut that shows hypermasculine nationalism still sells in India

Published by Daniella Wilson

On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch When Dhurandhar stormed Indian cinemas in late 2025, it did more than become one of the most successful Hindi films in history. It reignited a long-running debate about the political direction of Bollywood. The espionage thriller by director Aditya Dhar follows an Indian intelligence operative, played by Ranveer Singh, who infiltrates the Pakistani criminal underworld to dismantle a terrorist network targeting India. The plot blends fictional espionage with real events from the recent past, including the 2001 attack on India’s parliament and the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, weaving in archival footage and real audio recordings for effect. Dhurandhar quickly became one of the biggest Hindi movies ever, grossing over Rs 10bn (£81.6m) worldwide within three weeks of its release. It also became the highest-grossing Hindi film ever at the domestic box office with roughly Rs 8.31bn (£67.8m) and the highest-grossing Indian movie of 2025 worldwide. This Thursday will see …

Is surprise box-office hit Iron Lung the future of ‘video game films’? | Games

Is surprise box-office hit Iron Lung the future of ‘video game films’? | Games

Published by Sam Flores

Something weird struck me early on while watching the movie Iron Lung, which has so far taken $32m at the box office, despite being a grungy low-budget sci-fi thriller adapted from an independent video game few people outside of the horror gaming community have even heard of. Set after a galactic apocalypse, it follows a convict who must buy his freedom by piloting a rusty submarine through an ocean of human blood on a distant planet. Ostensibly, he’s looking for relics that may prove vital for scientific research, but what he finds is much more ghastly. So far, so strange. The film was also written, directed and financed by one person – the YouTube gaming superstar Mark “Markiplier” Fischbach – who also stars. But that’s not the weird part, either. The weird part is that watching the film Iron Lung feels like watching Fischbach play Iron Lung the game. Maybe it’s the fact that he spends most of the movie sitting at the sub’s controls, trying to figure out how to use them correctly – …

Disney’s First Quarter Is Powered by Box-Office Hits ‘Zootopia 2’ and ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’

Disney’s First Quarter Is Powered by Box-Office Hits ‘Zootopia 2’ and ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’

Published by Sam Flores

But the entertainment giant cautioned that in the second quarter its Experiences division, which includes its theme parks, will likely see modest operating income growth due in part to a decline in visits from international tourists to the U.S. There’s been a drop in foreign visitors to the U.S. attributed to several factors, including President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, tariffs, an immigration crackdown and repeated jabs about the U.S. possibly trying to acquire Canada and Greenland. The Walt Disney Co. earned $2.4 billion, or $1.34 per share, for the three months ended Dec. 27. It earned $2.64 billion, or $1.40 per share, a year ago. Removing one time charges and costs, earnings were $1.63 per share. That’s better than the $1.57 per share that analysts polled by Zacks Investment Research expected. Disney, based in Burbank, California, reported revenue of $25.98 billion. Wall Street was calling for slightly higher revenue of $25.99 billion. Revenue for Disney Entertainment, which includes the company’s movie studios and streaming service, climbed 7%, while revenue for the Experiences …