This weekend’s box office report tells a familiar story at the top and an exciting one just behind it. The Michael Jackson biopic keeps dominating, the long-running fashion sequel is fading on schedule, and a small horror film from a YouTube creator has emerged as the weekend’s biggest surprise.

‘Michael’ Holds the Crown

Lionsgate’s biopic Michael continues to prove remarkably durable. Now in its fourth weekend, the film is expected to take the No. 1 spot again with an estimated $27 million, a slim 29% drop from the previous frame. That follows a Friday gross of around $7 million across 3,560 theaters, with Imax and premium large-format screens giving the movie extra momentum.

The hold pushes Michael toward a running domestic total of roughly $283.6 million. If that figure holds, the film will edge past Lionsgate’s pre-pandemic hit Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, which finished its domestic run at $281.7 million. Even more striking, Michael is pacing about 7% ahead of where Oppenheimer stood through its fourth weekend — and Christopher Nolan’s film ultimately closed at $330 million domestically.

‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Slips to Second

In second place, 20th Century Studios and Disney’s The Devil Wears Prada 2 is showing the steeper decline of an aging release. Playing at 3,830 theaters, the sequel earned an estimated $5.4 million on its third Friday, pointing toward a third weekend of around $20 million.

That represents a 52% drop, leaving the film with a running total of roughly $177.8 million by Sunday — still a healthy cume, but clearly past its peak.

‘Obsession’ Is the Weekend’s Big Story

The most attention-grabbing entry in this box office report is Focus Features’ horror film Obsession. Directed by Curry Barker, the movie scared up about $6.6 million on Friday and is heading toward a third-place opening of roughly $14 million at 2,615 sites — well above the $8 million to $9 million that had been forecast.

What makes this especially notable is the film’s path to release. As one industry source pointed out, it’s rare for a film-festival acquisition to launch this strongly, since many such titles end up on streaming or struggle in arthouse runs. Obsession also earned the best CinemaScore of the weekend’s wide releases with an A-.

The performance is even more impressive given the context. Obsession is an original film from a YouTuber, not an adaptation — unlike the videogame-based Iron Lung or other projects rooted in existing digital IP. Its $14 million start lands just shy of Iron Lung’s $17.8 million opening.

Who Showed Up for ‘Obsession’

The audience breakdown points to a young, engaged crowd. Premium large-format screens drove about a quarter of ticket sales, and turnout skewed youthful — viewers under 25 made up 39% of the audience, while the 25-to-34 group accounted for another 39% on its own. The film earned a solid 70% “definite recommend” score.

Overall attendance ran 59% male to 41% female, with the film performing especially well in the West, South Central and East Canada. Industry tracking firm RelishMix noted that conversation around the movie has been strongly positive, with fans treating it less like disposable studio horror and more like a breakout moment for an indie director. The “toxic girlfriend” premise has been widely described online as a Gen Z spin on Fatal Attraction, with praise focused on the film’s restraint, sound design and emotional intensity rather than gore.

The marketing campaign leaned into that fandom energy. Focus Features and Blumhouse took the film to festivals including SXSW and Fantastic Fest, handed out cryptic promotional items, and even produced a real-world version of a magical object central to the plot. Fans rushed to buy it, and it sold out within hours.

Rounding Out the Top Five

Fourth place goes to New Line’s Mortal Kombat II in its second weekend. The sequel pulled in $3.5 million on Friday for an estimated three-day haul of roughly $12.7 million to $13 million, a steep 66% drop, bringing its 10-day total to $61.8 million. Worth noting: the film’s $38.5 million opening was a franchise record, topping the original 1995 movie.

Fifth belongs to Amazon MGM Studios’ The Sheep Detectives, which earned $2.3 million on Friday and an estimated $9.8 million for the weekend, down 35%, for a 10-day total approaching $30.1 million.

Notable Titles Outside the Top Five

Several films landed just below the top tier:

• Black Bear’s In the Grey, a Guy Ritchie movie, earned around $1.2 million Friday for an estimated $3 million weekend at 2,018 sites. It picked up a B CinemaScore, with its biggest audience among the over-55 crowd. Ritchie’s films historically perform strongly overseas, so its international run will be worth watching.
• Paramount’s 40th anniversary re-release of Top Gun grossed $740,000 on Friday, heading for a roughly $2.9 million to $3.2 million weekend and a running total of about $4.7 million.
• Amazon MGM Studios’ drama Is God Is, carrying a B+ CinemaScore, took in north of $850,000 Friday for an estimated $2.2 million three-day total at 1,510 sites, drawing a largely female audience.

A Strong Preview for ‘Obsession’

Obsession’s momentum was visible even before the weekend began. The film grossed $2.6 million in previews — a figure that actually topped the previews for Paramount’s Smile, which went on to open to $22.6 million. Its closest comparisons are indie horror hits like Heretic and Talk to Me, and Obsession beat both of their Friday preview numbers.

With critics and audiences both scoring it around 95% on Rotten Tomatoes heading into release, the film entered the weekend as a potential upset — and largely delivered on that promise.

The Bottom Line

The takeaway from this box office report is clear: established franchises still anchor the chart, but the weekend’s real energy came from an original horror film. Michael’s staying power remains exceptional, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is winding down predictably, and Obsession has proven that a creator-driven original can break through in a marketplace dominated by sequels and adaptations.

Note: All figures cited are industry estimates and may shift once final weekend numbers are reported.