Ever since theaters opened their doors to the public again after the quarantine era of the Covid-19 pandemic in late 2020 and early 2021, horror has helped anchor the box office. What’s interesting is that, in many cases, original horror has moved the needle, serving as one of the only genres where original ideas can reliably thrive. “Obsession,” the new film from director Curry Barker, is the latest example. Moreover, it’s a case of another trend that’s emerging in Hollywood and will only be amplified in the coming years.
Hailing from Focus Features and Blumhouse, “Obsession” opened to an estimated $16.1 million domestically this past weekend. While it had to settle for third place behind “Michael” ($26.1 million) and the previous reigning box office champ “The Devil Wears Prada 2” ($18 million), the acclaimed horror flick performed beyond its pre-release estimates, which had it doing around $15 million at the very high end.
What’s more, Barker’s movie also added a reported $7 million overseas, giving it a $23.1 million global start. The film was produced for less than $1 million, with Focus buying the rights for a reported $14 million. Some scenes had to be cut from “Obsession” to avoid an NC-17 rating, but those cuts now look very wise as this is shaping up to be a huge winner for all involved. The movie carries a stellar 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a rare-for-horror A- CinemaScore, which suggests word of mouth will be quite good. Writing for /Film, BJ Colangelo called “Obsession” a “confident crowd-pleaser” in her review.
It’s just the latest example of a filmmaker who made the jump from YouTube to legitimate, undeniable success at the box office, specifically via the horror genre. That’s a growing trend that Hollywood can’t (and almost certainly won’t) ignore.
Obsession cements the YouTube-to-Hollywood director pipeline
“Obsession” centers on Bear (Michael Johnston), who, after breaking the mysterious “One Wish Willow” to win the heart of his crush Nikki (Inde Navarrette), finds himself getting exactly what he wished for. Unfortunately, he quickly discovers that his wish comes with a dark price.
Curry Barker made his way onto everyone’s radar with 2024’s “Milk & Serial,” a thriller that was released on YouTube, produced for just $800, and was met with widespread acclaim. That paved the way for “Obsession,” which is now well on its way to become a bonafide, unqualified mainstream theatrical hit.
Barker follows in the footsteps of YouTuber Markiplier, whose self-produced sci-fi/horror film “Iron Lung” shocked the box office earlier this year, earning $50 million worldwide on a reported $3 million budget with minimal marketing. There’s also Kane Parsons’ already praised A24 horror movie “Backrooms,” which will bring his viral hit YouTube series to the big screen and is shaping up to be a major success.
And let’s not forget Chris Stuckmann’s “Shelby Oaks,” itself the most successful horror movie in Kickstarter history (with the film having been released theatrically by NEON last year). That’s on top of A24’s horror flick “Talk to Me,” which made $92 million at the global box office on a sub-$5 million budget after directors Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou cut their teeth on YouTube.
Basically, for a long time, it felt like major studios either looked down upon YouTube or ignored it entirely, but that can no longer be the case. Even outside of the horror scene, YouTube personalities like “Ms. Rachel” have gained massive followings and are infiltrating Hollywood. The website’s now a legitimate breeding ground for mainstream filmmaking talent, and the evidence is too overwhelming to ignore.
“Obsession” is in theaters now.
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