While Steven Spielberg’s extraterrestrial drama invades the world, 24-year-old Curry Barker’s low-budget horror “Obsession” achieves a rare domestic feat.

Emily Blunt in ‘Disclosure Day’.Credit: Niko Tavernise/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment

Take me to your leader!

Steven Spielberg swept the box office this weekend with Disclosure Day, his extraterrestrial drama that beamed up $44 million domestically and $93 million globally, per Rentrak (formerly Comscore). At 79, the American master proved he can still achieve total command of the moviegoing public, both critically and commercially, even on his 37th feature in the director’s chair.

His return to aliens after 12 years (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was the last Spielberg film to feature the creatures, though 2005’s War of the Worlds was the last to center on them) also marked his best box office premiere in nearly a decade. Ready Player One previously achieved $53 million domestically in its opening weekend in 2018.

Inde Navarrette and Michael Johnston in ‘Obsession’.Focus Features /Courtesy Everett Collection

Obsession, the twisty horror thriller and feature debut from 24-year-old YouTube sensation Curry Barker, surged back into the top 3 in its fifth weekend in theaters. Made on a minuscule budget estimated between $750,000 to $1 million, Obsession earned an additional $19 million at home and $34 million around the world, making for a staggering $188.3 million total gross in the former column, and $286.5 million in the latter.

In a rare feat, the film has now outgrossed its own opening take ($17.2 million) every weekend since its premiere.

In other horror news, Backrooms, Obsession‘s peer in being helmed by an upstart wunderkind (20-year-old YouTuber Kane Parsons) also staked its claim to longevity at the box office this weekend. The A24 hit starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve scared up $11.2 million in week 3 at the domestic market, and $23.2 million globally. Made on an estimated $10 million budget (not accounting for considerable marketing and promotional expenses), Backrooms‘ $262.3 million global gross thus far makes it A24’s top earner of all time.

Keeping in the horror realm, Paramount’s Scary Movie fell to No. 3 domestically with a $14.5 million weekend 2 take, but held on at No. 2 globally with an impressive $37 million. Like Backrooms, and certainly like Obsession, the team behind Scary Movie can rest easy knowing their $30 million estimated budget has well and fully been recouped as the global total reached $173.2 million this weekend.

Elsewhere on the box office charts, Lionsgate’s martial arts thriller The Furious debuted to a decent $19.6 million globally, meeting its estimated $20 million budget. Domestically, RuPaul’s campy comedy Stop! That! Train! earned a meager $2 million in its opening weekend, earning it the No. 9 spot overall.

Next weekend is shaping up to be a multi-front melee for the box office gold. Disclosure Day, Obsession, Scary Movie, and Backrooms all possess major returning potential, but they will have to vie against a trio of formidable new contenders.

At the forefront is Toy Story 5, the first new film in Pixar’s main animated franchise since 2019. It’s been a number of weeks since a family friendly film opened wide, and with summer upon us, that makes for a majorly underserved market raring to return to theaters.

But Hugh Jackman is also bringing the gritty, folkloric actioner The Death of Robin Hood to theaters, alongside NEON’s new horror offering Leviticus. It’ll likely be a tough competition for No. 1, but an overall win for the movies at large.