*Courtesy of Capstone / Focus Features.*

‘Obsession’ is a global box office phenomenon.

The Focus Features and Blumhouse horror flick has climbed to $286.5 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film ever acquired out of a festival after its premiere and auction. That puts it ahead of ‘The Blair Witch Project,’ which finished with a reported $248.6 million globally after being bought out of Sundance in 1999.

Directed by Curry Barker and starring Indie Navarrette, Michael Johnston, Megan Lawless, and Cooper Tomlinson, ‘Obsession’ was financed by Capstone for just $750,000 before Focus picked it up for more than $15 million out of TIFF Midnight, taking North America and select international territories.

In North America, the film added $19 million this weekend, once again topping its $17.1 million opening frame. Its domestic total now stands at $188.3 million.

Internationally, ‘Obsession’ continues to show exceptional staying power. In the UK and Ireland, it earned $2 million for a $17.7 million total, becoming the highest-grossing 18-rated horror film of all time and the seventh-biggest horror movie ever in the market.

India remains one of the film’s strongest territories, where it is currently the No. 1 Hollywood release. With an $8 million cume, ‘Obsession’ has become the third-biggest horror film of all time in the market.

Across the Middle East, the film has reached $12.4 million, making it the region’s second-biggest horror movie ever. It ranked No. 1 in the U.A.E. and No. 2 in Saudi Arabia behind local hit ‘7 Dogs.’

Mexico has brought the film to $6.8 million, ahead of the lifetime grosses of ‘The Invisible Man’ and ‘Scream VI,’ while the Philippines surged 97% in weekend three to reach $1.3 million. Israel stands at $1.8 million after a slim 4% weekend drop, and the Netherlands has reached $3.2 million, already ahead of ‘Weapons’ and ‘Smile 2.’

For a $750,000 midnight festival pickup, ‘Obsession’ has become one of the year’s most unlikely box office stories… and a potent reminder that horror remains one of the business’s best bets.

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