10 Movies Like Obsession That Made Impossible Box-Office Returns

The meteoric rise of Curry Barker’s directorial debut, Obsession, is a testament to how Hollywood is still a place for indie filmmakers who can bring in the numbers with a good story and the right marketing. The horror film has reportedly grossed over $38 million at the box office, which is insane considering its budget was around $1 million (via The Numbers).

The horror film has earned 38 times more than its budget, which was an impossible task. It proved again that good filmmaking will bring in the numbers and fans to the cinemas. Obsession was not the first movie to pull this off on a small budget. Plenty of independent films have raked in huge numbers despite shoestring budgets.

Here are ten movies that made impossible box office returns despite low budgets. Many of these horror films.

Movie Name	Obsession
Directed By	Curry Barker
Written By	Curry Barker
Main Cast	Michael Johnston, Inde Navarette, Cooper Tomlinson, Andy Richter, Megan Lawless
Release Date	May 15, 2026
Rotten Tomatoes (as of May 23, 2026)	Tomatometer – 95% Popcornmeter – 95%
IMDb (as of May 23, 2026)	8.2
Box Office (as of May 23, 2026)	$38 Million

1 Paranormal Activity

The success of Paranormal Activity is what made horror movies so accessible in the first place. The found-footage horror movie was reportedly filmed for just $15,000. Director Oren Peli preferred a realistic and grounded take on the horror story and chose to film on a video camera as opposed to traditional equipment. The film earned $194.2 million (via The Numbers).

According to THR, the main production budget was $15,000 while post-production cost an additional $150,000. After the movie was bought by DreamWorks, another ending was filmed for the movie, which reportedly cost another $50,000, bringing the total budget to $215,000.

Still, it is an incredible feat to earn more than a $100 million at that budget. Producer Jason Blum has spoken about how they made the film and how, in hindsight, the same tactics would not have worked in 2025.

2 Rocky

The story of how Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky was made is as inspiring, if not more, than the movie itself. Stallone was reportedly extremely broke, and his career had almost ended, before he cranked out the script for the boxing drama in a few days and began to try to sell it. While there were potential buyers, Stallone’s condition to cast him as the lead role caused many rejections.

The movie was finally made with a $960,000 budget. It is insane to know that one of the greatest Hollywood films ever made, which began a franchise that is still going, was made on such a low budget. It caused a storm at the box office, earning $225 million worldwide (via The Numbers), and even won Best Picture.

3 The Blair Witch Project

Before Paranormal Activity, there was The Blair Witch Project. The horror film may not have been the first found footage horror film, but it definitely started the trend, and it was because of its box office performance that it became such a cult classic. Initially rejected by multiple studios and made on a production budget of $35,000, the film earned $248 million (via Box Office Mojo).

Much like Paranormal Activity, The Blair Witch Project also spent a lot more on post-production, sound, and a 35mm transfer. According to THR, the overall production spend could have gone up to $500,000, and the team spent around $6-8 million on domestic marketing alone, after it was bought by Artisan Entertainment. Still, a modest budget for its box office performance.

4 Open Water

The survival film Open Water hit it big at the Sundance Film Festival back in 2003, especially for its use of real sharks. The film saw the story of two scuba divers who are stranded in shark-infested waters after their boat leaves them behind. The film was made at a modest budget of $500,000 and was bought by Lionsgate. It earned $54.6 million (via Box Office Mojo).

5 My Big Fat Greek Wedding

The romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding was originally conceived as a monologue workshop, performed by star Nia Vardalos, based on her own wedding to a non-Greek actor. The workshop got so popular that it caught the attention of Rita Wilson, who got her husband, actor Tom Hanks, to watch it.

The film was made at a modest budget of $5 million. It was an American and Canadian co-production. The film was a huge hit, earning $368.7 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo), and led to two sequels and a TV show.

6 Mad Max

Who knew that the incredible Australian action franchise, Mad Max, which now attracts stars like Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Chris Hemsworth, was made at a modest budget of ASD$400,000. It was a wildly improbable project, with Mel Gibson starring and George Miller’s vision deemed too ambitious for the budget (via Vanity Fair).

But the action film was a runaway hit, earning $100 million at the box office (Vic) and even securing the Guinness World Record for the most profitable film ever made (it was beaten by The Blair Witch Project).

7 Saw

While examples of action and romantic comedies are there, horror films are sort of perfect for such low-budget experiments. James Wan and Leigh Whannell’s Saw was one such incredible experiment that has led to a multi-movie franchise, which also includes video games, reboots, and theme park rides. The duo recently spoke to FandomWire at Sundance about the making of the movie and returning to the franchise.

Wan and Whannell reportedly got a small production budget of $1 million, but they turned it into one of the most profitable horror films of all time. The film earned $104 million, nearly 14 times its budget (via Box Office Mojo). It was bought by Lionsgate after it was received well at the Sundance film festival.

8 Insidious

The first time was so nice that they did it twice. James Wan and Leigh Whannell took the playbook of Saw’s success and redid it with a completely new concept in Insidious. The horror film starring Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne was reportedly given a budget of $1.2 million. It earned $100.1 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo) and has spawned a multi-film franchise.

9 Napoleon Dynamite

The coming-of-age comedy Napoleon Dynamite is a cult classic, with many still quoting from the masterpiece of a movie. Based on his own short film Peluca, director Jared Hess developed the feature following the awkward high school life of the titular Napoleon Dynamite. The film was reportedly made at a budget of $400,000.

Napoleon Dynamite grossed $46.1 million at the box office (via Box Office Mojo), making it extremely profitable. It also spawned a merchandise boom, with T-shirts and memorabilia turning in heavy profits (via Washington Post).

10 Halloween

John Carpenter’s horror masterpiece Halloween changed the horror franchise for good. The film explored some deeply disturbing ideas, a villain, Michael Myers, who became a pop cultural phenomenon and popularized the slasher genre. With several reboots and sequels, with varying levels of quality in the franchise, it is insane to learn that it was made on a modest budget of $325,000.

The film starred Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle and was scored by Carpenter himself. It became a phenomenal and influential horror film, earning $70 million at the box office (via The Numbers).

The independent film has long been considered to be a dying industry in Hollywood. However, films like Obsession come in every few years and break these ideas. Coming from an independent creator like Curry Barker, the film’s success marks a new chapter in how Hollywood films can get made and be successful.

Movie Name	Budget	Box Office
Paranormal Activity	$15,000	$194.2 Million
Rocky	$960,000	$225 Million
The Blair Witch Project	$35,000	$248 Million
Open Water	$500,000	$54.6 Million
My Big Fat Greek Wedding	$5 Million	$368.7 Million
Mad Max	ASD$400,000	$100 Million
Saw	$1 Million	$104 Million
Insidious	$1.2 Million	$100.1 Million
Napoleon Dynamite	$400,000	$46.1 Million
Halloween	$325,000	$70 Million

If you have any questions about Obsession or other films in the list, refer to the FAQs below.

What do you think about Obsession? Comment below.