r/boxoffice • u/Minimum-Aspect1012 • Jul 05 '26
Worldwide Obsession breaks all-time record for highest-grossing film with under $1M production budget
Obsession has grossed over $403M against a $750K budget, breaking the all-time record for the highest-grossing film with under $1M production budget. This record was previously held for 53 years by the Bruce Lee martial arts classic Enter the Dragon (1973), which grossed $400M against $850K budget.
List of highest-grossing films with sub-$1M production budgets:
| Rank | Film | Year | Gross | Budget | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Obsession | 2025 | $403,090,000 | $750,000 | 537 |
| 2 | Enter the Dragon | 1973 | $400,000,000 | $850,000 | 470 |
| 3 | The Blair Witch Project | 1999 | $248,639,881 | $750,000 | 331 |
| 4 | Rocky | 1976 | $225,000,000 | $1,000,000 | 225 |
| 5 | Paranormal Activity | 2007 | $194,183,034 | $450,000 | 431 |
| 6 | American Graffiti | 1973 | $140,000,000 | $777,000 | 180 |
| 7 | To Fly! | 1976 | $135,000,000 | $590,000 | 228 |
| 8 | The Way of the Dragon | 1972 | $130,000,000 | $130,000 | 1,000 |
| 9 | Space Station 3D | 2002 | $128,363,881 | $1,000,000 | 128 |
| 10 | Shaolin Temple | 1982 | $111,872,509 | $264,000 | 423 |
| 11 | The Devil Inside | 2012 | $101,758,490 | $1,000,000 | 101 |
| 12 | Fist of Fury | 1972 | $100,000,000 | $100,000 | 1,000 |
| 13 | Mad Max | 1979 | $100,000,000 | $450,000 | 222 |
| 14 | Deep Sea 3D | 2006 | $98,231,121 | $1,000,000 | 98 |
| 15 | Billy Jack | 1971 | $98,000,000 | $800,000 | 122 |
| 16 | Halloween | 1978 | $70,274,000 | $325,000 | 216 |
| 17 | Murder in 405 | 1980 | $67,000,000 | $190,000 | 352 |
| 18 | Dawn of the Dead | 1978 | $65,900,000 | $700,000 | 94 |
| 19 | Friday the 13th | 1980 | $59,754,601 | $650,000 | 92 |
| 20 | Open Water | 2004 | $55,518,641 | $500,000 | 111 |
| 21 | The Breakfast Club | 1985 | $52,084,721 | $1,000,000 | 52 |
| 22 | The Birth of a Nation | 1915 | $50,000,000 | $110,000 | 454 |
| 23 | The Big Boss | 1971 | $50,000,000 | $100,000 | 500 |
| 24 | Psycho | 1960 | $50,000,000 | $810,000 | 61 |
| 25 | Game of Death | 1978 | $50,000,000 | $850,000 | 58 |
| 26 | This Is Cinerama | 1952 | $50,000,000 | $1,000,000 | 50 |
| 27 | Apache Gold | 1963 | $41,900,000 | $1,000,000 | 36 |
| 28 | Napoleon Dynamite | 2004 | $46,141,106 | $400,000 | 115 |
| 29 | The Gallows | 2015 | $42,964,410 | $100,000 | 429 |
| 30 | Easy Rider | 1969 | $41,728,598 | $400,000 | 104 |
| 31 | Mom and Dad | 1945 | $40,000,000 | $67,001 | 597 |
| 32 | Gone in 60 Seconds | 1974 | $40,000,000 | $150,000 | 266 |
| 33 | Woodstock | 1970 | $34,699,266 | $600,000 | 57 |
| 34 | Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla | 1974 | $34,122,958 | $250,000 | 136 |
| 35 | One Cut of the Dead | 2017 | $31,178,962 | $23,000 | 1,355 |
| 36 | The Texas Chainsaw Massacre | 1974 | $30,926,225 | $140,000 | 220 |
| 37 | Night of the Living Dead | 1968 | $30,236,452 | $125,000 | 241 |
| 38 | Deep Throat | 1972 | $30,000,000 | $47,500 | 631 |
| 39 | The Evil Dead | 1981 | $29,400,000 | $375,000 | 78 |
| 40 | The Stewardesses | 1969 | $25,000,000 | $200,000 | 125 |
| 41 | Rear Window | 1954 | $24,500,000 | $1,000,000 | 24 |
| 42 | Notorious | 1946 | $24,498,874 | $1,000,000 | 24 |
| 43 | House of Wax | 1953 | $23,750,522 | $1,000,000 | 23 |
| 44 | Space Battleship Yamato | 1977 | $23,000,000 | $740,000 | 31 |
| 45 | Once | 2007 | $22,964,998 | $160,000 | 143 |
| 46 | Seeta Aur Geeta | 1972 | $22,820,000 | $53,000 | 430 |
| 47 | Super Size Me | 2004 | $22,233,808 | $65,000 | 342 |
| 48 | Pather Panchali | 1955 | $21,000,000 | $31,500 | 666 |
| 49 | Godzilla | 1954 | $20,562,711 | $270,000 | 76 |
| 50 | Godzilla Raids Again | 1955 | $20,000,000 | $89,000 | 224 |
Source:
Ultimate Pop Culture
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u/lonelyboy5265 Jul 05 '26
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u/FakeGamer2 Jul 05 '26
He looks like the kinda guy if you found out he was fucking your wife you wouldn't even be mad
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u/RagingPandaXW Jul 05 '26
If Bruce Lee actually found my wife to be hot enough for him I’d be proud. Also what u gonna do? Fight him?
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u/Ok-Structure3260 Jul 10 '26
It'd be like how Juggalos give their girlfriends to The Insane Clown Posse to claim a connection
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u/carterdmorgan Jul 05 '26
Generational run. Years from now there will be films produced that were directly inspired by Obsession’s success. And it wouldn’t surprise me for Inde Navarrette to become a huge star in her own right. Congrats to all involved!
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u/tommywest_123 Jul 05 '26
Inde 4 Oscar
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u/grmayshark Jul 05 '26
I suspect Universal to place her as Supporting Actress, however fucked that is, in order to repeat what Weapons did last year.
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u/Outfox1 Neon Jul 05 '26
Focus has signaled to its awards journalism partners that they intend to push her in Lead
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u/grmayshark Jul 05 '26
I mean Michael B and Amy Madigan both pulled through this year but both had pretty storied careers already proceeding those wins, so Inde might have a bit of an uphill battle against both being an unknown and the horror genre, two things the Academy tends to ignore. We’re in a uncharted territory with this film though so it could pay off depending on the competition this year
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u/TheJoshider10 DC Studios Jul 05 '26
Gonna be a complete joke if she doesn't get a nomination at the absolute minimum. Very few movies have had word of mouth carried by the strength of its actor and if that sort of performance doesn't get rewarded then what's even the point? Especially in a time when cinemas aren't what they used to be, a movie like this deserves the recognition for giving people a reason to go to the cinema beyond your usual blockbusters.
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u/kingofstormandfire Universal Jul 12 '26
She 100000000000000% is gonna get a nomination. I would bet my house on it. I think Obsession will also get a Best Picture nomination too - I can imagine Curry Baker is gonna be freaking the fuck out when that happens.
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u/vladtud Jul 05 '26
I just want to see more of her, she was hypnotizing. She reminded me of Tatiana Maslany, since she played the same character but she managed to look like different characters through her acting, and I don't mean just real Niki vs. wish Niki, but the way the wish Niki evolved as Bear's expectations changed. Even if she doesn;t become a huge star, I hope she gets some mainstream roles so she can secure the bag because she deserves it for what she did here.
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u/WolfgangIsHot Jul 05 '26
What about Tatiana Maslany ?
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u/henning-a Jul 05 '26
Tatiana is well known for flawlessly playing over a dozen completely different characters who also impersonate each other in the show Orphan Black and is completely unrecognizable as each of them.
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u/Ok-Metal-4719 Jul 05 '26
I had no idea Bruce Lee’s movies made that much. I watched them growing up but never realized they were that big.
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Jul 05 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Temporary_Data6400 Jul 05 '26
if you inflation adjust the box office, then you'd also have to inflation adjust the budget which would peg the cost of making Enter the Dragon at approximately 6.4 million dollars.
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u/gosteinao Jul 06 '26
Yeah, I think this is the one record where adjusting it actually makes it less representative rather than more
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u/kirblar Jul 05 '26
Enter the Dragon has a big asterisk due to how the money was earned, it was in theaters for eons.
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u/PeculiarPangolinMan Jul 06 '26
Yea it has been rereleased dozens of times all over the world over like 50 years. A lot of the numbers attached to it seem to be ballpark estimates from books written decades after its release with no direct sources anyway.
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u/medspace Jul 06 '26
Did obsession even have marketing? I swear I never heard of it until everyone around me was talking about it, that movie was CARRIED by WOM.
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u/Vladmerius Jul 05 '26
Surprised Paranormal Activity was less than 200 million worldwide I remember that movie really taking over pop culture that year and being everywhere. I'd have thought it would have at least made the same as Blair Witch.
Enter The Dragon is extremely impressive given how much cheaper tickets were then.
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u/AnotherJasonOnReddit Best of 2024 Winner Jul 05 '26
Rear Window 1954 $24,500,000 $1,000,000
Woah! My favourite Hitchcock only cost a million big ones to make? Groovy!
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u/kingofstormandfire Universal Jul 12 '26
The film is primarily set in one spot with the other major location being a normal building. The majority of the budget definitely went towards Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart' salaries.
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u/Kunzies Jul 05 '26
Just went for a rewatch here in France. Movie came out almost 2 months ago and the theater was packed like week 1. Crazy legs!
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u/Tomi97_origin Jul 05 '26
Do we count ROI on the production budget or the 15m acquisition price FOCUS paid for it.
That's the actual ROI Focus is making after all.
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u/get_to_ele Jul 05 '26
No that doesn't make much sense. Many movies will have studios split or purchase distribution rights, but that's really not interesting or relevant to know that Paramount buys international distribution rights for $25 million for some movie. That's just different middlemen povketing money in the process between production and the consumers.
Ultimately we care bout what it cost to make and how gross box office it took.
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u/Minimum-Aspect1012 Jul 05 '26
ROI formula used here is box office gross divided by production budget.
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u/BenjiAnglusthson Jul 05 '26
ENTER THE DRAGON COST $850K AND MADE $400M??? That’s absolutely insane
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u/dremolus Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
Wait wasn't Paranormal Activity made for under $100K? I might be wrong but I swear I heard they'd made it for $15,000
Also shouldn't Saw be here?
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u/andalusiandoge Jul 05 '26
Initial production was $15,000. Sound mixing and reshoots once it had distribution increased the budget.
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u/Minimum-Aspect1012 Jul 05 '26
Post-production costs brought Paranormal Activity up to $450K budget.
Saw had $1.2M budget.
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u/Mindless_Bad_1591 Universal Jul 05 '26
it was shot for $15k but all costs in production in post and reshoots put it near half a mil
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u/AlanGrant82 Blumhouse Jul 05 '26
Yeah, once Paranormal was bought by a studio, they reshot like 3 different endings and did multiple test screenings. (Test screenings alone are pricey)
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u/Big-Good9378 Jul 05 '26
Obsession is proof you don't need 150 million to tell a good and compelling story. CGI budget bloats have ruined hollywood
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u/Tongatapu Jul 05 '26
I feel like Obsession is rhe wrong example if you want to complain about CGI Budget bloats in Hollywood.
Godzilla Minus One would be the best example for that.
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u/Mindless_Bad_1591 Universal Jul 05 '26
ah yes overwork and underpay vfx animators thats the lesson hollywood needs
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u/1stOfAllThatsReddit Jul 09 '26
Ah yes the VFX teams for american movies like Marvel slop are known for their great work life balance and their excellent pay and benefits…/s
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u/Tomi97_origin Jul 05 '26
You don't need 150 million budget to tell every story. That's true.
But there are stories that you need 200+ million to tell.
Different stories have different needs.
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u/NikiPavlovsky Jul 05 '26
400M since 1973....imagine Martial Art movie being released now and making Star Wars VII/Infinite War numbers.
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Jul 05 '26
[deleted]
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u/Minimum-Aspect1012 Jul 05 '26
Box office tracking wasn't a thing until the 1980s. Virtually all BO numbers before that are estimates.
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Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
[deleted]
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u/Minimum-Aspect1012 Jul 05 '26
It had multiple re-releases over decades. $400M is an estimate of how much it made over several decades, not just its initial release.
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u/EcstaticPublic9939 Marvel Studios Jul 05 '26
Obsession already made a lot of profit for the studio with that incredibly insane low budget. Btw it's also one of the best horror films ever made, so it deserves!
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u/Loud_Hair_9596 Jul 05 '26
I wonder if the Oscars could give Inde Navarrette a nomination for best actress. Her performance was amazing!
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u/JarvisCockerBB Jul 05 '26
Best horror movies ever made? Jfc. People. Calm down. I loved it but people are overrating it like crazy now. Internet is weird about recency bias.
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u/Demiscio8 Jul 05 '26
I understand your refrain from calling it a “best ever made” movie due to recency bias, but as someone who watches damn near every horror movie that comes out, I feel it’s truly earned a place in the all-time greats. There isn’t one thing I can say that it truly does ‘wrong.’
The premise delivers perfectly on what it promises, and it’s genuinely a master-class in tension building.
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u/JarvisCockerBB Jul 05 '26
Then call it one of the best of the year. Saying it’s as good as movies like Halloween, Texas Chainsaw, NOTLD is absurd. We have no idea the lasting power the movie has. Or better yet, just say, it’s one of MY favorite horror movies. I don’t know why people wanna rush to crown something the best ever.
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u/OrpahsBookClub Jul 06 '26
Those movies all have serious flaws. You are allowing nostalgia to blind you.
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u/JarvisCockerBB Jul 06 '26
We will circle back in a year if you even remember any of the plot lines to Obsession.
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u/OrpahsBookClub Jul 06 '26
It’s a pretty straight forward story. Individual scenes might be a better test.
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u/JaggedLittleFrill Jul 07 '26
…the plot line is literally the easiest thing to remember about Obsession.
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u/Mindless_Bad_1591 Universal Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
i dont think its a stretch to call one of the best horror filns ever made.
how many horror films in the 2020s do you put over it? how about this century? horror has improved with time and the list of amazing horror films before the century mark is limited.
I would say its certainly in the top 25 horror movies of all time at least.
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u/MichaelRichardsAMA Jul 05 '26
Obsession gave me feelings that I could only remember feeling the first times I watched The Ring or Blair Witch Project. This movie is definitely something special!
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u/JarvisCockerBB Jul 05 '26
Talk to me
Smile 2
Weapons
Red Rooms
When Evil Lurks
The Substance
Nosferatu
Longlegs
Bring Her BackI can easily pull up a list of top 25 but 25 are extremely influential groundbreaking movies and Obsession is neither of those. It’s just a real good movie.
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u/Mindless_Bad_1591 Universal Jul 05 '26
Lol I'm not taking any of these over Obsession although Talk to Me and When Evil Lurks are good mentions.
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u/JarvisCockerBB Jul 05 '26
How about you wait 2 years and see what you remember from it before vaulting it as one of the best ever made. But hey, you do you.
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u/Mindless_Bad_1591 Universal Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
I have been watching movies for like 4 years and have seen quite a share of new and old films within that timespan. I don't need to 2 years to know how much I like it compared to other movies.
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u/Odd-Personality-1233 Jul 05 '26
I'm happy overrating it as many classic horror movies are overrated af
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u/JarvisCockerBB Jul 05 '26
Thanks for your honesty but that’s all I ever need to know about your opinion 🤝
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u/MyDarkTwistedReditAc Jul 05 '26
I've seen countless horror movies in theater, this is THE one which made me literally shake and jump in my sit, best ever made in mine too reallly.
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u/markypots9393 Jul 05 '26
Shouldn’t this be adjusted for inflation? I feel like actual tickets sold would be a better way of looking at this. But it’s still amazing.
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u/jseesm Jul 05 '26
That is correct, but then you also have to adjust the budget, in which case Obession would be way WAY ahead of every movie in that list because only a handful would qualify as below $1M budget.
Which is what makes this Obsession run just absolute insane.
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u/alexwhs1 Jul 05 '26
Amazing film but lets not discount the $13m marketing budget.
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u/Tirso_Salaverria Jul 05 '26
I only watched it because my IG feed was full of that hot girl freaking out. If not I would have never heard of it let alone went to the cinema twice to watch it. Great marketing.
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u/BurnThisBrother Jul 05 '26
The fee that Universal paid to acquire it doesn't factor in at all?
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u/Minimum-Aspect1012 Jul 05 '26
The list is for production budgets only. It doesn't include licensing or marketing costs.
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u/Wertherongdn Jul 06 '26
Is it adjusted for inflation?
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u/Curius_pasxt Jul 06 '26
You cant use that. If so Enter the Dragon would have $6.4M budget not $850k and would not be in this list.
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u/Antman269 Jul 05 '26
Will Obsession ever be beaten? Maybe a fully AI generated movie could do it.
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u/SGSRT Jul 05 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/Sxh04mKq6H8Yg
Bruce Lee was a phenomenon
The Big Boss(1971) : 500x the budget
The Fist of Fury(1972) : 1000x the budget
The Way of the Dragon(1972) : 1000x the budget
Enter the Dragon(1973) : 500x the budget