The Spring and Summer 2025-2026 theatrical season saw a mix of record-breaking successes for low-budget horror films and major animated franchises, alongside underperformance from big-budget franchise installments. The domestic box office for the period ran ahead of the previous year but remained slightly behind pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
The Rise of YouTube-Created Horror: Obsession and Backrooms
Two horror films directed by young filmmakers who built their audiences on YouTube achieved significant commercial success.
Obsession (Focus Features)
- Director: Curry Barker (age 26)
- Production Budget: Approximately $750,000 to $1 million
It became Focus Features' highest-grossing release domestically and globally.
The film, acquired by Focus Features after its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, was noted for its unusual box office trajectory. It increased its gross in its second and third weekends, a feat uncommon outside of the holiday season.
- Final cumulative domestic total: Over $233 million
- Global total: Exceeding $333 million
- The film is projected to be one of the few original, non-franchise horror films to surpass $200 million domestically.
Backrooms (A24)
- Director: Kane Parsons (age 20-21)
- Production Budget: Approximately $10 million
Parsons became the youngest director to have a No. 1 film at the global box office.
Based on Parsons' online found-footage shorts, the film opened with $81.5 million domestically, setting a record for A24 by surpassing Civil War ($25.5 million). It concluded its run as A24's highest-grossing film globally (over $300 million).
- Audience demographics: Skewed heavily younger, with 85% of Backrooms audiences under 35.
Spielberg's Original Sci-Fi: Disclosure Day
- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Cast: Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colman Domingo
- Production Budget: $115 million (with an estimated $80 million in marketing costs)
The film opened at No. 1 with $44 million domestically and $48.9 million internationally, for a global opening of $92.9 million. This was above initial estimates but below the $50 million domestic figure that rival studios reportedly considered necessary for a film of its scale.
With a break-even point estimated at $300 million globally, the film's long-term profitability was uncertain.
- Critical response: 80-81% on Rotten Tomatoes; CinemaScore grade of B
- Second weekend decline: Approximately 61-69%
- Domestic total plateau: Around $94 million
Toy Story 5 Breaks Franchise Records
- Director: Andrew Stanton
- Production Budget: $250 million
The film achieved the highest domestic opening weekend of 2025-2026 with $160 million.
The film surpassed Toy Story 4 ($120.9 million), setting a new franchise record. Its global opening weekend was $312 million, making it the second-best opening for a Pixar film behind Inside Out 2.
- Domestic milestone: Reached $300 million by its second week
- Global milestone: Approximately $585 million after 12 days
- Critical response: 94% certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes; A CinemaScore
Supergirl Opens Below Expectations
- Director: Craig Gillespie
- Starring: Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El
- Production Budget: $170 million
The second film in the rebooted DC Universe opened to $38 million domestically and $68 million globally, below projected figures of $50-55 million. This performance was below other recent DC films such as The Flash ($55 million opening) and Superman (2025, $125 million opening).
Industry analysts noted a broader decline in box office performance for superhero films.
- Critical response: B- CinemaScore; 56% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu Opens Softly, Obsession Outperforms It
- Director: Jon Favreau
- Production Budget: $165 million (lowest for a Disney-era Star Wars film)
The first Star Wars theatrical release in seven years opened with $82 million over three days and approximately $98-102 million over the four-day Memorial Day weekend. This was the lowest domestic opening for a Disney-era Star Wars film, behind Solo: A Star Wars Story ($103 million four-day opening in 2018).
In a notable development, the low-budget horror film Obsession surpassed The Mandalorian and Grogu in daily domestic box office revenue during the latter's opening week.
- Audience response: A CinemaScore; 89% audience score (highest for a Disney-era Star Wars film)
- Critical response: Mixed (61-64%)
- Disney's statement: The film's value extends beyond theatrical to merchandise, theme parks, and streaming content.
Scary Movie and Masters of the Universe: Contrasting Openings
Scary Movie (Paramount/Miramax)
The sixth installment of the franchise, marking the return of the Wayans brothers, opened at No. 1 with $55 million domestically — a franchise-best unadjusted opening. Its global opening was $105.5 million against a $30 million production budget.
Masters of the Universe (Amazon MGM)
- Director: Travis Knight
- Starring: Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man
- Production Budget: Nearly $200 million
The film opened to $29.3 million domestically and $54 million globally. Industry analysts described the opening as "soft" for a film with franchise-building expectations.
Market Context
- The domestic box office year-to-date was 13.2% ahead of the prior year, with the summer season pacing 3% behind 2019.
- Analysts observed that major intellectual property-based releases often lagged behind original, low-budget horror films and family-oriented animated features. Several major studio releases experienced significant second-weekend drops (70% or more).
- Paradigm shift noted: The success of Obsession and Backrooms was cited as a potential paradigm shift, where YouTube creators can build a direct pipeline to theatrical success, capturing a younger audience experiencing franchise fatigue.