Weekend Box Office Recap: Michael Dances Back to No. 1 as Obsession Breaks Out

Weekend Box Office Recap: Michael Dances Back to No. 1 as Obsession Breaks Out

The weekend of May 15–17, 2026 was less about a giant new opener and more about staying power. After two weekends behind The Devil Wears Prada 2, the Michael Jackson biopic Michael reclaimed the top spot at the North American box office with an estimated $26.1 million domestic weekend. That pushed the film to about $282.8 million domestic and $703.9 million worldwide, keeping it in rarefied music-biopic territory even as it still trails Bohemian Rhapsody’s $910.8 million global benchmark.

Michael Reclaims the Crown

The big story this weekend was that Michael was not done. In its fourth weekend, the Lionsgate biopic moved back into first place, showing stronger legs than expected after its huge opening and the arrival of multiple high-profile competitors. Entertainment Weekly reported that Michael also topped the global chart for the weekend, earning $83.8 million worldwide in week four.

That matters because Michael has had a complicated box office path: massive audience interest, mixed-to-negative critical response, and ongoing controversy around what the film does and does not cover. But commercially, the audience has kept showing up. At this point, the movie is one of the defining theatrical stories of 2026.

Domestic Top 10

Here is the estimated domestic top 10 for May 15–17, 2026:

Michael — $26.1 million The Devil Wears Prada 2 — $18.0 million Obsession — $16.1 million Mortal Kombat II — $13.4 million The Sheep Detectives — $9.3 million The Super Mario Galaxy Movie — $4.5 million Project Hail Mary — $3.9 million Top Gun 40th Anniversary — $3.1 million In the Grey — $3.0 million Is God Is — $2.2 million

Overall, The Numbers listed the weekend’s reporting films at roughly $105 million total domestic box office, which is a step down from the bigger early-May weekends but still a healthy result considering there was no massive tentpole launch.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 Slips, But Remains a Major Hit

After two weekends on top, The Devil Wears Prada 2 fell to second with $18 million, bringing its domestic total to about $175.9 million and worldwide total to $546.2 million. That is still a strong result for the sequel, especially after its huge debut and rapid climb past the original film’s lifetime global gross.

The drop also makes sense in context. Prada 2 has already had its event moment, and this weekend’s marketplace was less concentrated around one title. Still, a $546 million global total after three weekends confirms that the sequel is one of the year’s biggest commercial wins.

Obsession Is the New Release Story of the Weekend

The standout new opener was Obsession, the relationship horror film from YouTube breakout Curry Barker. It opened in third place with $16.1 million from 2,615 theaters, outperforming expectations and giving Focus Features a very strong genre result. The number is especially impressive because AP reported the film was made for just $750,000, while Focus acquired it out of the Toronto International Film Festival for around $15 million.

Audience and critic response also helped the story. AP reported a 94% Rotten Tomatoes critics score and an A- CinemaScore, which is notably strong for horror. Focus distribution president Lisa Bunnell pointed to demand for “fresh, original voices” and said the film could benefit from word-of-mouth with younger audiences.

This is the kind of opening that can shift industry attention. A low-budget, original horror film does not need Marvel-sized numbers to become a major win. With this start, Obsession immediately becomes one of the more interesting sleeper-hit candidates of early summer.

Newcomers Had Mixed Results

Outside of Obsession, the weekend’s new releases were more modest.

Guy Ritchie’s action film In the Grey opened with $3 million from 2,018 locations, landing in ninth place. The cast — Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Eiza González — gives it name recognition, but the opening is soft for a wide action release. AP noted the film carried a 44% Rotten Tomatoes score and a B CinemaScore, which suggests it may not have the word-of-mouth needed for a major theatrical run.

Is God Is, Aleshea Harris’s adaptation of her Obie-winning play, opened in tenth with $2.2 million. That is a smaller commercial footprint, but the film’s reported 97% Rotten Tomatoes rating gives it a stronger critical story than most wide or semi-wide releases this weekend.

Holdovers Still Carried the Marketplace

Mortal Kombat II took fourth with $13.4 million, down sharply from its debut. AP reported a 65% second-weekend drop, bringing the film to $101.2 million globally from 80 markets. That is not a disaster, but it changes the tone around the sequel: the opening was respectable, but the second-weekend fall suggests it may be more front-loaded than Warner Bros. hoped.

The Sheep Detectives had a better hold, finishing fifth with $9.3 million according to The Numbers. AP described its drop as a slim 33%, which is encouraging for a family-friendly mystery comedy. Its domestic total is now around $30 million, so it still has work to do, but the hold is a positive sign.

Lower in the top 10, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie added $4.5 million, while Project Hail Mary brought in $3.9 million in its ninth weekend. Project Hail Mary is now also available to rent or buy at home, making its continued theatrical presence more notable.

Nostalgia Was Everywhere

One of the more interesting themes this weekend was nostalgia. Michael returned to No. 1, The Devil Wears Prada 2 stayed high on the chart, and anniversary re-releases of Top Gun and Shrek both made the domestic chart, with Top Gun earning $3.1 million and Shrek earning $1.25 million.

Comscore’s Paul Dergarabedian summed up the weekend by noting that “nostalgia is on full display,” and that is probably the best way to frame this marketplace. Audiences were not just buying into new stories; they were buying back into familiar brands, familiar stars, familiar music, and familiar theatrical experiences.

The Bigger Story: The Calm Before Star Wars

This weekend felt like a bridge between early-summer momentum and the next major tentpole. Michael, Prada 2, Mortal Kombat II, The Sheep Detectives, Mario, and Project Hail Mary kept the marketplace active, while Obsession proved there is still room for an original genre breakout.

But the box office is likely to shift next weekend when Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives. AP noted that the power dynamics are poised to change when the Disney/Lucasfilm release hits theaters, and Entertainment Weekly framed it as the first major challenger to Michael’s renewed momentum.

International Box Office

Internationally, Michael was again the biggest story. Entertainment Weekly reported that the film earned $83.8 million globally for the weekend, and AP placed its total worldwide gross at $703.9 million. Since the domestic weekend was $26.1 million, that implies roughly $57.7 million of the weekend came from international markets.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 also remained strong overseas. EW reported a $68.6 million global weekend, while AP listed its worldwide total at $546.2 million. With an $18 million domestic weekend, that implies about $50.6 million internationally for the frame. The sequel is clearly no longer just a domestic nostalgia play; it has become a major worldwide performer.

Obsession opened to about $23 million worldwide, per EW, meaning it added roughly $6.9 million internationally on top of its domestic launch. That is a solid start for a low-budget horror film and gives it room to become a profitable global play if word-of-mouth holds.

Mortal Kombat II has now reached $101.2 million globally from 80 markets, but its sharp domestic drop raises questions about how much staying power it will have before Star Wars enters the marketplace.

Bottom line: Michael reclaimed No. 1, The Devil Wears Prada 2 remained a global force, and Obsession gave the weekend its best new-release story. The bigger test comes next weekend, when The Mandalorian and Grogu brings Star Wars back to theaters.