Will Obsession Hit Netflix? When and Where to Stream Curry Barker’s 2026 Horror Sensation

Horror movies pull this kind of stunt every few years: a tiny, gnarly film pops up, costs less than someone else’s craft services bill, and suddenly it is steamrolling the box office. That is Obsession right now. If you have not caught it in theaters yet, you are probably asking the same thing everyone else is: when can I watch it at home, and where is it landing?

Short version: do not hold your breath for Netflix

Obsession is still racking up ticket sales after its May 15, 2026 U.S. theatrical release through Focus Features. Universal is handling international distribution. Translation: when it does hit streaming, expect it to live inside Universal’s orbit. That generally points to Peacock for the subscription home, with digital rentals and purchases on the usual stores (Amazon, Apple, etc.) before that.

Timing-wise, studios typically push movies to PVOD about a month after they start winding down theatrically. With Obsession still packing houses, a realistic window for premium digital rental/buy is late June into July, with Peacock likely after that. Exact dates are not locked yet and will depend on how long Focus/Universal ride the theatrical wave.

The wild box office run (on a shoestring)

Here is the part that makes studio accountants sweat and microbudget filmmakers dream. Curry Barker wrote and directed Obsession for roughly $750,000. It was tracking for an $8 million opening weekend... and then opened to $17.2 million instead. By the end of week one, it had piled up about $30 million and reportedly topped the domestic box office on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, edging out higher-profile titles like Michael, The Devil Wears Prada 2, and Mortal Kombat 2 during those midweek days. Industry watchers on social media even flagged it as the first sub-$1 million budget movie to take the top spot at the box office; that is a bold claim, but it gives you a sense of how unusual this run has been.

Even stranger for a wide-release horror title: Obsession pulled off a roughly 30% jump in its second weekend, which basically never happens in this genre. As of now, it has hauled in around $80 million worldwide on that sub-$1 million budget. Do the math — that is a return north of 100x, and the meter is still running.

What it is actually about (and why it sticks)

The premise is simple and mean in all the right ways. Bear (Michael Johnston), a full-on romantic, buys a One Wish Willow to try to win over Nikki (Inde Navarrette). He gets exactly what he asked for — and then some — because Nikki’s affection comes tied to something darker and compulsive that spirals into real-deal nightmare territory. It is the classic be-careful-what-you-wish-for setup, cranked to a nervy, skin-crawling pitch.

How we got here

Obsession premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, where critics zeroed in on Curry Barker’s writing and direction. That early buzz translated: the word of mouth is brutal (in a good way), and the performances are the kind that make you want to grab the armrest. The result is one of those rare microbudget-to-mainstream stories where the hype is actually backed up by the crowd energy in the room.

If you are planning your watch

• Theatrical (U.S.): Opened May 15, 2026 via Focus Features; still playing strong.
• PVOD (rent/buy): Likely late June to July, depending on how long theaters keep it hot.
• Subscription streaming: Expect Peacock down the line, given Universal’s pipeline. Netflix is unlikely.

The bottom line

If you can handle jumpy crowds and those deliciously awkward post-scare laughs, see it in a packed theater — this one feeds off that communal squirm. If not, the home option is not far off. Either way, Obsession is the rare horror flick that earns its chatter and then some.