Obsession smashes $25 million at the Australian and New Zealand box office, set to become the biggest horror film of the decade

Rialto Distribution is celebrating a major box office milestone as horror phenomenon OBSESSION surpasses $25 million at the Australian and New Zealand box office, cementing its place as one of the most successful theatrical horror releases in recent history.

Having captivated audiences on both sides of the Tasman, OBSESSION is now on track to become the highest-grossing horror film released in Australia and New Zealand in the past 10 years. This extraordinary result reflects the continued strength of the cinema experience and demonstrates the appetite audiences have for premium horror events on the big screen.

Kelly Rogers, Rialto Distribution CEO says of this feat "To see OBSESSION reach $25 million across Australia and New Zealand is an incredible achievement. Horror has always been one of the most powerful theatrical genres, and audiences have embraced this film in a way few could have predicted. This milestone is a testament to strong word-of-mouth, passionate fans and the enduring appeal of seeing a truly terrifying story unfold on the big screen."

The film's success comes during a period of renewed momentum for theatrical exhibition, with audiences increasingly turning out for event cinema experiences that deliver genuine excitement, suspense and a must-see cultural moment.

For New Zealand born distributor Rialto Distribution, the result further strengthens a remarkable run at the local box office. A long-standing champion of New Zealand cinema, Rialto has distributed more New Zealand productions than any other distributor, releasing 19 New Zealand films theatrically over the past five years alone and breaking more local box office records than any other distributor during that period.

Recent box office milestones include TENOR: MY NAME IS PATI ($1.19 million), the highest-grossing New Zealand film of 2026 to date and only the fifth New Zealand documentary to surpass $1 million; PRIME MINISTER ($1.22 million), the highest-grossing documentary released in New Zealand in the past 11 years; MURU ($1.53 million), the highest-grossing New Zealand film of 2022; NOT ONLY FRED DAGG ($502,000), one of the country's highest-grossing documentaries; BOOKWORM ($513,000), one of New Zealand's best-performing family films; and SGT. HAANE ($380,000), the first feature film about the Māori Battalion, which connected strongly with audiences nationwide.

Together with the success of OBSESSION, these results underscore Rialto Distribution's ability to identify, market and build audiences for films that resonate with New Zealanders across a wide range of genres, from locally made documentaries and dramas through to global theatrical event releases.

With OBSESSION now the highest-grossing horror film released across Australia and New Zealand in the past decade, the film stands as the latest in a growing list of record-breaking theatrical achievements for Rialto Distribution.