CONFIRMED
Obsession, the micro-budget horror phenomenon that dominated 2026, streams on Netflix in the US starting November 17. Netflix confirmed the date in a teaser post on October 18, captioned “You wished for this,” as embedded and quoted by Parade.
What we know
Netflix’s own announcement is the anchor here. The streamer’s post, dated October 18, 2026, says Obsession is coming to Netflix in the US on November 17. We couldn’t pull up the original post directly, so we’re relying on the version embedded and quoted by Parade. Digg’s aggregation also shows the post on October 18.
That date clears up a small mix-up. The Daily Jagran says Netflix made the announcement “on Monday,” but October 18 was a Sunday. Parade’s page carries a Monday, October 19 stamp, which likely explains the confusion.
The money side is remarkable for a film this small. The Hollywood Reporter says Focus Features picked up Obsession out of TIFF for around $15M, that it was shot for $750,000, and that it passed $200M worldwide to become Focus’ biggest movie ever.
For anyone catching up: Obsession premiered at TIFF on September 5, 2025, and opened in US theaters on May 15, 2026. It’s the feature debut of writer-director Curry Barker, a YouTube creator, and stars Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette.
What we don’t know yet
Netflix hasn’t said anything about other countries. Its post names the US only, and What’s on Netflix, as relayed by Men’s Journal and Netflix Junkie, notes that other territories may vary. If you’re outside the US, don’t assume November 17 applies to you.
The final box office total is also fuzzy. Yahoo and the Daily Jagran put the worldwide gross at roughly $523M, and Yahoo calls it the highest-grossing original film of the decade after it passed Sinners.
A sequel is not on the table officially. Per Parade, Barker hasn’t announced Obsession 2. His next film, Anything But Ghosts, is set for May 2027, according to a Hollywood Reporter headline.
What it means
The November 17 timing isn’t random. Obsession has been on Peacock since July 17, 2026, according to Parade, Netflix Junkie and Men’s Journal. Netflix and Universal, which owns Focus, have a Pay-1 licensing deal. Netflix Junkie and Men’s Journal, citing What’s on Netflix, report that films under it stay on Peacock for about four months, move to Netflix for an exclusive ten-month window, then head back to Peacock.
That’s also why What’s on Netflix was able to flag a November 17 US date months ago, with Men’s Journal relaying it around early July and Yahoo around August. Those were projections based on the deal. Netflix’s October 18 post is what makes it official.
There’s a fun bit of irony too. Barker said on the “Q with Tom Power” podcast, as relayed by Yardbarker and Trevor Decker’s TDN, that Netflix tried to buy the film outright for streaming before Focus won the bidding. So Netflix ends up with Obsession anyway, just after a theatrical run that turned a $750,000 shoot into one of the genre’s biggest stories in years.
For US viewers who skipped theaters and don’t have Peacock, the wait is almost over. Everyone else should watch for local Netflix listings rather than trusting the US date.