Biggest box-office surprises of 2026 so far: Obsession, Karuppu to Haunted 3D
A clutch of low-hype films from Hollywood, Hindi cinema and Tamil cinema has emerged as 2026's surprise box-office winners. Their runs showed that word of mouth, nostalgia and emotional pull could outpace star power and opening-day noise.
With 2026 almost halfway through, one thing is clear: star power and big budgets are no longer enough to guarantee box-office success. While several big-ticket releases delivered as expected, it was the underdogs that emerged as the biggest surprises, surpassing trade expectations and turning into unlikely commercial winners.
From Hollywood films like Obsession to Main Vaapas Aaunga and Karuppu, nobody expected these films to become major box-office winners. Yet, against all odds, they won over audiences, generated strong word of mouth, and emerged as some of the biggest surprise hits of 2026.
Take a look at how these underdog films defied expectations and struck gold at the box office.
Obsession (Hollywood)
The 2026 horror film directed by Curry Barker earned a historic $370 million at the global box office. Made on a budget of Rs 7.5 crore, the film has collected over Rs 78 crore, as reported by trade website Sacnilk.
Obsession rewrote the rules of independent filmmaking. Made for less than a million dollars, the psychological horror film became Focus Features' highest-grossing title ever, outperforming several studio-backed blockbusters.
The supernatural horror film follows Bear, a lonely employee at a music shop who uses a supernatural toy to make his friend Nikki fall in love with him, only for the wish to turn violent as she gradually loses her sense of self.
Main Vaapas Aaunga (Bollywood)
Although it didn't dominate the opening weekend, Imtiaz Ali's Partition drama slowly found its audience through strong word of mouth. At a time when mass entertainers were expected to rule, the emotional drama managed to sustain itself in theatres and crossed the Rs 75-crore mark worldwide, emerging as one of the year's pleasant surprises.
The film, starring Naseeruddin Shah, Diljit Dosanjh, Vedang Raina and Sharvari, had a slow start at the box office, netting just Rs 1.15 crore on its opening day. However, it gained major momentum over the following weeks due to positive word-of-mouth.
Karuppu (Tamil)
Suriya's action-fantasy Karuppu turned out to be one of the biggest box-office surprises of 2026. Defying expectations after a slow start to the year and overcoming last-minute release delays, the film went on to gross over Rs 300 crore worldwide, reviving the Tamil box office and becoming the highest-grossing Tamil film of the year.
The film marked a major comeback for the actor, becoming the biggest hit of his career in over a decade. It surpassed the lifetime records of his 13-year-old blockbuster Singam 2 within just four days of release. Directed by RJ Balaji, Karuppu blended action, crime and devotional elements, while its nostalgic nod to classic Amman (goddess) films struck a chord with family audiences. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, the film's emotional appeal and mass entertainer quotient helped it emerge as one of the defining blockbusters of 2026.
Backrooms (Hollywood)
Backrooms emerged as one of 2026's most unexpected global blockbusters, turning an internet horror legend into a box-office sensation. Directed by 20-year-old YouTube filmmaker Kane Parsons, the film grossed over $330 million worldwide (Rs 33 crore) against a modest $10 million (Rs 8.8 crore) budget, making it one of the year's biggest success stories and setting new records for distributor A24.
Based on the viral Backrooms creepypasta and the filmmaker's own found-footage YouTube series, the film follows a furniture store owner (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who stumbles upon a mysterious alternate dimension hidden beneath his basement, while his therapist (Renate Reinsve) embarks on a desperate search to find him. The horror thriller went on to become A24's highest-grossing film ever, while Parsons made history as the youngest director to helm a global No 1 box-office hit.
Michael (Hollywood)
Michael turned out to be one of 2026's biggest box-office surprises, rewriting the record books with a staggering $1.11 billion ( Rs 111 crore) worldwide haul. The biopic became the highest-grossing music biopic of all time, proving that audience interest in the King of Pop's legacy far outweighed mixed critical reviews.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and featuring Michael Jackson's nephew, Jaafar Jackson, in the lead role, the film became an unexpected blockbuster, crossing Rs 40 crore at the Indian box office and fuelling a massive music streaming resurgence. Prior to its release, the film sold a surprising 78,000 tickets for weekend previews and early shows, immediately indicating strong local interest.
Audiences flocked to theatres for its electrifying musical performances, iconic dance recreations and nostalgic celebration of Michael Jackson's life, overlooking the controversies surrounding the film and its selective portrayal of the pop icon’s story.
Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past
When Vikram Bhatt announced another Haunted film, few expected it to outperform bigger Hindi releases. Yet Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past stunned trade analysts by collecting almost double the weekend business of Imtiaz Ali's Main Vaapas Aaunga and staying ahead of other Bollywood releases despite mixed reviews.
The film silently conquered a crowded box office with zero pre-release hype. Made on a modest budget of Rs 10–15 crore, the movie quickly crossed its break-even point to become the fifth major blockbuster of 2026. It crossed the Rs 18-crore mark, achieving full cost recovery and turning a profit in just six days. The sequel tapped into the heavy nostalgia and success of the original Haunted 3D film.
The success of these films proves that 2026 has been the year of the unexpected. Whether it was a low-budget horror film, a nostalgic sequel, a heartfelt Partition drama or a music biopic, audiences embraced compelling stories over pre-release hype.
In an era where opening-day numbers often dominate conversations, these underdogs showed that strong word of mouth, emotional connect and fresh storytelling can still turn unlikely contenders into box-office champions.
With 2026 almost halfway through, one thing is clear: star power and big budgets are no longer enough to guarantee box-office success. While several big-ticket releases delivered as expected, it was the underdogs that emerged as the biggest surprises, surpassing trade expectations and turning into unlikely commercial winners.
From Hollywood films like Obsession to Main Vaapas Aaunga and Karuppu, nobody expected these films to become major box-office winners. Yet, against all odds, they won over audiences, generated strong word of mouth, and emerged as some of the biggest surprise hits of 2026.
Take a look at how these underdog films defied expectations and struck gold at the box office.
Obsession (Hollywood)
The 2026 horror film directed by Curry Barker earned a historic $370 million at the global box office. Made on a budget of Rs 7.5 crore, the film has collected over Rs 78 crore, as reported by trade website Sacnilk.
Obsession rewrote the rules of independent filmmaking. Made for less than a million dollars, the psychological horror film became Focus Features' highest-grossing title ever, outperforming several studio-backed blockbusters.
The supernatural horror film follows Bear, a lonely employee at a music shop who uses a supernatural toy to make his friend Nikki fall in love with him, only for the wish to turn violent as she gradually loses her sense of self.
Main Vaapas Aaunga (Bollywood)
Although it didn't dominate the opening weekend, Imtiaz Ali's Partition drama slowly found its audience through strong word of mouth. At a time when mass entertainers were expected to rule, the emotional drama managed to sustain itself in theatres and crossed the Rs 75-crore mark worldwide, emerging as one of the year's pleasant surprises.
The film, starring Naseeruddin Shah, Diljit Dosanjh, Vedang Raina and Sharvari, had a slow start at the box office, netting just Rs 1.15 crore on its opening day. However, it gained major momentum over the following weeks due to positive word-of-mouth.
Karuppu (Tamil)
Suriya's action-fantasy Karuppu turned out to be one of the biggest box-office surprises of 2026. Defying expectations after a slow start to the year and overcoming last-minute release delays, the film went on to gross over Rs 300 crore worldwide, reviving the Tamil box office and becoming the highest-grossing Tamil film of the year.
The film marked a major comeback for the actor, becoming the biggest hit of his career in over a decade. It surpassed the lifetime records of his 13-year-old blockbuster Singam 2 within just four days of release. Directed by RJ Balaji, Karuppu blended action, crime and devotional elements, while its nostalgic nod to classic Amman (goddess) films struck a chord with family audiences. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, the film's emotional appeal and mass entertainer quotient helped it emerge as one of the defining blockbusters of 2026.
Backrooms (Hollywood)
Backrooms emerged as one of 2026's most unexpected global blockbusters, turning an internet horror legend into a box-office sensation. Directed by 20-year-old YouTube filmmaker Kane Parsons, the film grossed over $330 million worldwide (Rs 33 crore) against a modest $10 million (Rs 8.8 crore) budget, making it one of the year's biggest success stories and setting new records for distributor A24.
Based on the viral Backrooms creepypasta and the filmmaker's own found-footage YouTube series, the film follows a furniture store owner (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who stumbles upon a mysterious alternate dimension hidden beneath his basement, while his therapist (Renate Reinsve) embarks on a desperate search to find him. The horror thriller went on to become A24's highest-grossing film ever, while Parsons made history as the youngest director to helm a global No 1 box-office hit.
Michael (Hollywood)
Michael turned out to be one of 2026's biggest box-office surprises, rewriting the record books with a staggering $1.11 billion ( Rs 111 crore) worldwide haul. The biopic became the highest-grossing music biopic of all time, proving that audience interest in the King of Pop's legacy far outweighed mixed critical reviews.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and featuring Michael Jackson's nephew, Jaafar Jackson, in the lead role, the film became an unexpected blockbuster, crossing Rs 40 crore at the Indian box office and fuelling a massive music streaming resurgence. Prior to its release, the film sold a surprising 78,000 tickets for weekend previews and early shows, immediately indicating strong local interest.
Audiences flocked to theatres for its electrifying musical performances, iconic dance recreations and nostalgic celebration of Michael Jackson's life, overlooking the controversies surrounding the film and its selective portrayal of the pop icon’s story.
Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past
When Vikram Bhatt announced another Haunted film, few expected it to outperform bigger Hindi releases. Yet Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past stunned trade analysts by collecting almost double the weekend business of Imtiaz Ali's Main Vaapas Aaunga and staying ahead of other Bollywood releases despite mixed reviews.
The film silently conquered a crowded box office with zero pre-release hype. Made on a modest budget of Rs 10–15 crore, the movie quickly crossed its break-even point to become the fifth major blockbuster of 2026. It crossed the Rs 18-crore mark, achieving full cost recovery and turning a profit in just six days. The sequel tapped into the heavy nostalgia and success of the original Haunted 3D film.
The success of these films proves that 2026 has been the year of the unexpected. Whether it was a low-budget horror film, a nostalgic sequel, a heartfelt Partition drama or a music biopic, audiences embraced compelling stories over pre-release hype.
In an era where opening-day numbers often dominate conversations, these underdogs showed that strong word of mouth, emotional connect and fresh storytelling can still turn unlikely contenders into box-office champions.
