Indie horror movie captures national attention, boosting local box‑office receipts
A horror film produced by YouTuber‑turned‑filmmaker Curry Barker has opened a new chapter in the genre. The 22‑minute, $750,000 budget movie “Obsession” debuted at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival in September. Focus Features later purchased the rights for $15 million, and the film entered limited release in the United States in June.
In its first two weeks of theatrical release, “Obsession” earned more than $60 million in North America, surpassing initial expectations by a wide margin. Box Office Mojo reports a projected total of approximately $80 million worldwide. The film has also achieved high critical and audience scores, with a 95 % rating on Rotten Tomas and a 94 % audience approval rating.
Barker, who previously built a following on YouTube with projects like “Milk and Serial,” described the production as a surprise success, noting that the project was not anticipated to reach such levels of commercial performance. The film’s storyline blends romance and horror, focusing on the consequences of making wishes.
Industry analysts, including J. Blum, an executive producer of the film, have highlighted the rarity of a horror movie expanding its audience in a second weekend. The success has led to new opportunities for Barker, including a forthcoming project titled “Anything But Ghosts” and a television‑style adaptation of “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” under the direction of A24.