{"id":820261,"date":"2026-07-23T06:04:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T06:04:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/820261\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T06:04:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T06:04:20","slug":"the-2026-horror-hit-endorsed-by-christopher-nolan-officially-overtakes-the-exorcist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/820261\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2026 Horror Hit Endorsed by Christopher Nolan Officially Overtakes ‘The Exorcist’"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are few horror movies in the history of Hollywood that have cast as big a shadow as that of The Exorcist<\/a>. For half a century now, William Friedkin<\/a>\u2019s demonic masterpiece has remained one of the genre\u2019s defining achievements, both critically and commercially, and it still holds up even today. It terrified audiences to the point of causing a societal crisis<\/a> and was banned in the UK for being so traumatizing. Despite that incomparable legacy, one of the biggest surprise success horror stories of 2026<\/a> has officially overtaken it.<\/p>\n

Curry Barker\u2019s Obsession<\/a> has officially surpassed The Exorcist at the worldwide box office, earning $442.6 million globally compared with The Exorcist\u2019s lifetime total of $430.8 million across its various theatrical releases, while the milestone is based on unadjusted worldwide grosses and comes despite Obsession already being available on streaming via Peacock and premium digital platforms while it continues its theatrical run.<\/p>\n

Collider Exclusive \u00b7 Sci-Fi Personality Quiz
\n Which Sci-Fi Hero Are You Most Like?
\n Paul Atreides \u00b7 Captain Kirk \u00b7 Princess Leia \u00b7 Ellen Ripley \u00b7 Max Rockatansky<\/p>\n

Five iconic heroes. Five completely different ways of facing an impossible universe. One of them shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of refusing to back down. Eight questions will tell you which one.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfdc\ufe0fPaul Atreides<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd96Capt. Kirk<\/p>\n

\u270aPrincess Leia<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd26Ellen Ripley<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd25Max Rockatansky<\/p>\n

\n FIND YOUR HERO \u2192\n <\/p>\n

01<\/p>\n

How do you lead when the stakes couldn’t be higher?
\n The way you lead under pressure is the most honest thing about you.<\/p>\n

\n AI absorb everything \u2014 every variable, every pattern \u2014 and move only when I know the path forward.
\n BI read the room, make the call, and own the consequences. Hesitation costs more than mistakes.
\n CI rally people. A cause needs a voice, and I refuse to let fear be louder than conviction.
\n DI assess the threat, establish what needs doing, and get it done without waiting for permission.
\n EI don’t lead. I act. Others can follow or not \u2014 I’m already moving.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

02<\/p>\n

What is your greatest strength in a crisis?
\n The quality that keeps you alive when everything else fails.<\/p>\n

\n APrescience \u2014 the ability to see further ahead than anyone else and plan accordingly.
\n BImprovisation \u2014 I’m at my best when the plan falls apart and I have to invent a new one.
\n CConviction \u2014 I know what I’m fighting for, and that certainty doesn’t waver under fire.
\n DComposure \u2014 I stay functional when everyone around me is falling apart. Panic is a luxury.
\n EEndurance \u2014 I outlast things. I take the hit and keep moving long after others have stopped.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

03<\/p>\n

What is the thing you’d sacrifice everything else for?
\n Your deepest motivation is your truest compass.<\/p>\n

\n AThe survival and dignity of my people \u2014 even if I have to become something frightening to ensure it.
\n BThe safety of my crew \u2014 every single one of them. No one gets left behind.
\n CFreedom \u2014 for my people, for every world still crushed under the weight of an empire.
\n DThe truth \u2014 what actually happened, what’s actually out there, whether anyone believes me or not.
\n EThe one person \u2014 or the one memory \u2014 that still makes any of this worth surviving for.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

04<\/p>\n

How do you relate to the people around you?
\n Who you are to others under pressure is who you really are.<\/p>\n

\n AWith intensity and distance \u2014 I care deeply, but the weight I carry makes closeness complicated.
\n BWith warmth and irreverence \u2014 I take the mission seriously, not myself.
\n CWith directness and trust \u2014 I say what I mean, and I expect the people I work with to rise to it.
\n DWith professional care but clear limits \u2014 I’ll protect you, but I won’t pretend we’re family.
\n EWith wariness that slowly becomes loyalty \u2014 I don’t trust easily, but when I do, it holds.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

05<\/p>\n

You’re facing a threat that no one else believes is real. What do you do?
\n How you respond when you’re the only one who sees it defines everything.<\/p>\n

\n APrepare in silence. If they won’t listen, I’ll be ready when they finally have to.
\n BKeep pushing until someone listens \u2014 and if no one does, handle it myself.
\n CBuild the case, find the allies, and make the threat impossible to ignore.
\n DDocument everything. The truth matters even if no one believes it yet.
\n EStop trying to convince anyone. Survive it. That’s the only argument that counts.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

06<\/p>\n

What has your heroism cost you personally?
\n Every hero pays. The question is what \u2014 and whether they’d pay it again.<\/p>\n

\n AMy innocence \u2014 I’ve seen what I’m capable of, and I can’t unsee it.
\n BPeople I loved \u2014 the command chair has a view, but it’s a lonely one.
\n CA normal life \u2014 I gave up everything ordinary the moment I chose the cause.
\n DMy sense of safety \u2014 I know exactly what’s out there now, and I can’t pretend otherwise.
\n EAlmost everything \u2014 and I’m still not sure what I’m carrying it all for. But I keep going.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

07<\/p>\n

How do you feel about the rules of the world you’re in?
\n Every hero has a relationship with the system. What’s yours?<\/p>\n

\n AI understand them deeply \u2014 and I know exactly which ones must be broken, and why.
\n BI respect the spirit of them and bend the letter when the situation demands it.
\n CThe system is the problem. I’m not here to work within it \u2014 I’m here to dismantle it.
\n DI follow protocol until protocol stops being useful. Then I make the call myself.
\n EThe rules collapsed a long time ago. What’s left is instinct, and mine are reliable.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

08<\/p>\n

When everything is on the line, what keeps you going?
\n The answer is the most honest thing about you.<\/p>\n

\n ADestiny \u2014 or something that feels so much like it that the difference no longer matters.
\n BThe people on my ship \u2014 their faces, their trust, the fact that they’re counting on me.
\n CThe belief that what we’re fighting for is worth every sacrifice, including this one.
\n DSheer refusal to let it win \u2014 whatever it is. I don’t stop. That’s just who I am.
\n EI’m not sure anymore. But the road is still there, and I’m still on it.\n <\/p>\n

REVEAL MY HERO \u2192<\/p>\n

Your Hero Has Been Identified
\n Your Sci-Fi Hero Is\u2026<\/p>\n

Your answers point to the iconic sci-fi hero who shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of facing the impossible.<\/p>\n

Arrakis \u00b7 Dune\n <\/p>\n

Paul Atreides<\/p>\n

You carry a weight most people would crumble under \u2014 the knowledge of what you’re capable of, and the burden of what you might have to become.<\/p>\n

You see further ahead than others and you plan accordingly, even when the vision frightens you.
\n You are driven by loyalty to your people and a sense of destiny you didn’t ask for but can’t escape.
\n Paul Atreides is not simply a hero \u2014 he is someone who understands the cost of power and chooses to bear it anyway.
\n That gravity, that willingness to carry what others won’t, is exactly you.<\/p>\n

USS Enterprise \u00b7 Star Trek\n <\/p>\n

Captain Kirk<\/p>\n

You lead with instinct, warmth, and an absolute refusal to accept a no-win scenario \u2014 because you’ve always believed there’s a third option nobody else has thought of yet.<\/p>\n

You take the mission seriously without ever taking yourself too seriously.
\n Your crew would follow you anywhere, not because you demand it, but because you’ve earned it.
\n Kirk’s genius isn’t tactical \u2014 it’s human. He reads people, bends rules with purpose, and wills outcomes into existence through sheer conviction.
\n That combination of warmth, audacity, and relentless optimism is unmistakably yours.<\/p>\n

The Rebellion \u00b7 Star Wars\n <\/p>\n

Princess Leia<\/p>\n

You are the kind of person who holds the line when everyone else is losing faith \u2014 not because you’re fearless, but because giving up simply isn’t something you’re capable of.<\/p>\n

You lead through conviction. Your voice carries because your belief is unshakeable.
\n You gave up everything ordinary the moment you chose the cause, and you’ve never looked back.
\n Leia is not a supporting character in her own story \u2014 she is the moral centre of the entire rebellion.
\n That same fierce, principled, unbreakable core is what defines you.<\/p>\n

The Nostromo \u00b7 Alien\n <\/p>\n

Ellen Ripley<\/p>\n

You are not reckless, not grandiose, and not particularly interested in being anyone’s hero \u2014 you just refuse to stop when it matters.<\/p>\n

You see threats clearly, you document the truth even when no one listens, and when the time comes you handle it yourself.
\n Ripley’s heroism is earned, not performed. She doesn’t have a speech \u2014 she has a flamethrower and a plan.
\n You share her composure under the worst possible pressure, and her refusal to pretend the monster isn’t there.
\n When it counts, you don’t flinch. That’s everything.<\/p>\n

The Wasteland \u00b7 Mad Max\n <\/p>\n

Max Rockatansky<\/p>\n

You have been through fire that would break most people \u2014 and what came out the other side is something the world underestimates at its peril.<\/p>\n

You don’t ask for help, don’t need validation, and don’t wait for anyone to tell you the rules no longer apply.
\n Your loyalty, when it finally arrives, is absolute \u2014 but it’s earned in silence and tested in action, not in words.
\n Max is not a nihilist. He is someone who lost everything and found, against his will, that he still has something worth protecting.
\n That bruised, stubborn, ultimately human core is exactly yours.<\/p>\n

\n \u21bb RETAKE THE QUIZ\n <\/p>\n

\u2018Obsession\u2019 Is One of Horror\u2019s Biggest Success Stories Ever<\/p>\n

The achievement is all the more remarkable considering Barker\u2019s feature directorial debut was produced for just $750,000<\/a>. Following its festival debut, Focus Features acquired the film for $14 million before releasing it theatrically in May, where it quickly became one of the year\u2019s biggest breakout hits. The supernatural thriller follows a hopeless romantic<\/a> who makes a wish at the mysterious One Wish Willow in an attempt to win over his crush, only to discover that every desire granted comes with devastating consequences. Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, and Andy Richter star in the movie.<\/p>\n

Beyond its extraordinary financial success, Obsession has become part of a wider shift in Hollywood. Barker, like Backrooms director Kane Parsons<\/a>, first built his audience on YouTube before making the leap to feature filmmaking and, with both films becoming major theatrical successes this year, the YouTube-to-Hollywood pipeline has rapidly established itself as a genuine launching pad for blockbuster filmmakers. And more than that, it’s impressed the big kahuna in Hollywood, with Christopher Nolan<\/a> stating that Obsession “works like a motherf*cker.” Now that’s an endorsement.<\/p>\n

And just to reiterate, The Exorcist\u2018s legacy remains secure because, released in 1973, Friedkin\u2019s horror classic became the first horror film ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and remains one of the most influential films ever made. So we’re sure it won’t mind too much.<\/p>\n

Obsession is now playing in theaters and is also available on premium video-on-demand platforms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There are few horror movies in the history of Hollywood that have cast as big a shadow as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":820262,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[49,48,75,337],"class_list":["post-820261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-entertainment","tag-movies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/820261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=820261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/820261\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/820262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=820261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=820261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=820261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}