“Michael” Retakes Top Spot While “Obsession” Intensifies the Weekend Box Office

The much-anticipated indie horror movie Obession had a very strong debut at the weekend box office, while musical biopic Michael retook the top spot in its fourth week of release.

While people were expecting Michael to make money, I don’t think most of them anticipated the current impressive run for the biopic starring Jaafar Jackson as the King of Pop. The movie retook the No. 1 spot at the weekend domestic box office, collecting around $26.1 million in its fourth week. As of writing this piece, the global haul stands at $706 million. Analysts and fans predict Michael will reach the $1 billion club. And yeah, while depicting the events that occurred later in Michael Jackson’s life won’t be easy, I think we are getting that allegedly planned sequel. There’s just too much money on the table not to go for it.

The comedy The Devil Wears Prada 2 fell to a respectable number 2 with an estimated $18 million. The movie, as of now, has collected $545 million worldwide.

As for the new release, the horror movie Obsession got a stellar debut with approximately $16 million. With a reported production budget of less than $1 million, that’s incredible for everybody involved. Starring Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette, I really enjoyed watching Obsession. To be fair, I was side-eyeing the trailer due to the narrative being about a young man wishing his crush would fall in love with him, and things getting out of hand for the guy. However, having watched the movie, written and directed by Curry Barker, I do think the narrative did a good job of exploring abuse and stripping someone’s agency away through Nikki (Navarrette).

In my opinion, Obsession is one of the best disturbing horror movies tackling abuse and accompanying themes.

In some not-so-good news, Mortal Kombat II saw a steep, almost 65% drop during the second weekend, with it bringing in around $13.4 million. The global haul stands at $101 million against a reported production budget of $80 million. Yeah, with how things look, I have to say that MK2 is a flop. And that’s unfortunate because I liked the sequel. However, there were just a bunch of factors working against it, especially the move to a May 2026 release date instead of sticking to the October 2025 release.

As for the other new releases, In the Grey with Henry Cavill and Jake Gyllenhaal failed to perform at the box office. It only managed to open at No 9 with $3 million. I mean, considering the hype Cavill experiences online from his fans, one would expect them to show up at theatres. The current numbers add more support to why the live-action Voltron movie with Cavill was reportedly switched to a streaming-only release for Amazon Prime.

Is God Is opened at No 10 with around $2.2 million and a comparatively limited theatrical run. The Rotten Tomatoes Score is 97% from Critics and 88% from Audiences. So, word-of-mouth can help this potential awards play from writer-director Aleshea Harris.

May 15, 2026 – May 17, 2026 Weekend Box Office

1. Michael – $26.1 million
2. The Devil Wears Prada 2 – $18 million
3. Obsession – $16.1 million
4. Mortal Kombat 2 – $13.4 million
5. The Sheep Detectives – $9.3 million
6. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie – $4.4 million
7. Project Hail Mary – $3.8 million
8. Top Gun/Top Gun: Maverick 40th Anniversary Re-Release – $3.1 million
9. In the Grey – $3 million
10. Is God Is – $2.2 million

Did you watch Obsession? What did you think of it?

Let us know.

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(via Box Office Mojo)

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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