It seems that audiences worldwide might share an obsession with Obsession, akin to the film’s deranged, murderous girlfriend.

On Sunday, The Wrap reported that the horror sensation has officially surpassed the $500-million US threshold at the international box office, making it the first original film of the 2020s to achieve this feat.

In this achievement, it outperformed Pixar’s 2023 animated feature Elemental, which earned $494.6 million globally, thereby becoming the top-grossing original film since the pandemic, as noted by The Express Tribune.

This low-budget film, which tells the story of a woman consumed by violent obsession after a young man makes a supernatural wish for her affection, has also claimed the title of the highest-grossing film ever produced for less than $1 million US.

With a reported production budget of just $750,000, it surpasses the 1973 Bruce Lee classic Enter the Dragon, which had a budget of $850,000 and has grossed $400 million US through various re-releases.

Navarrette, background, and Michael Johnston in another scene from Obsession. (Focus Features)

Directed and written by 26-year-old Curry Barker, the film premiered in theaters on May 15. It became the first film since E.T. to experience an increase in weekly earnings during its first three weeks in cinemas.

By the end of its run in the U.S. on August 14, Obsession had accumulated $263.4 million domestically and an additional $238.1 million internationally, totaling $501.5 million worldwide and counting, according to Box Office Mojo.

A release in South Korea is still anticipated, according to The Wrap.

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The American horror film has also become the highest-grossing festival acquisition ever, following its acquisition by Focus Features after its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last September.

The film’s astonishing box office success is already aiding its young cast in landing larger roles. Female lead Inde Navarette is poised to portray the character Rogue in Marvel’s forthcoming X-Men project. Meanwhile, male lead Michael Johnston is reportedly in discussions to join Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz in Universal’s new The Mummy installment.

It is reasonable to assume that Obsession’s remarkable success has paved the way for Barker’s next venture. As reported by The Wrap, the director is currently working on a horror film titled Anything but Ghosts, in which he will star alongside co-writer Cooper Tomlinson.