Now that it’s July, the typical summer box office fare has arrived. Both Toy Story and the Minions franchises have new installments in theaters. Meanwhile, Supergirl and Masters of the Universe are the superhero movies out right now, with Spider-Man waiting to swing in at the end of the month. But before summer took over, the spring was dominated by horror, including one movie that cost less than a million to make and went on to earn hundreds of millions. Now, that same movie is dominating video on demand.
Obsession arrived in theaters back in May. Written and directed by newcomer Curry Barker, the film is a “be careful what you wish for” story where an awkward guy named Bear (Michael Johnston) buys a novelty toy called a “One Wish Willow” in a crystal shop. He then half-jokingly uses it to wish that his crush, Nikki (Inde Navarrette), will fall madly in love with him. The wish works, but all too effectively. Nikki becomes completely obsessed with him, demanding every bit of attention and committing violent acts to maintain his focus.
Obsession was made for just $750,000. On its opening weekend, it over performed when it pulled in $17.2 million. Then it did something very few movies have ever done: it made even more money on its second weekend than it did on its first, bringing in $23.9 million. The movie did so well that it still remains in many theaters right now, six weeks after its initial release. Currently, its box office haul sits at more than $370 million, a truly stunning achievement for a film so cheap to make.
But while some are still watching (or rewatching) Obsession in theaters, the movie arrived on video on demand on June 30. Three days later, according to FlixPatrol, Obsession stands at number one on Apple TV’s video on demand section and is number three for Vudu’s rentals in the U.S. Just like they did in theaters, people are going crazy for Obsession, a great new horror movie by a rising star in the genre.
What’s next for Curry Barker?
While Obsession is Barker’s first major success, it was not his directorial debut. He had previously directed the 2024 found footage horror film Milk & Serial and was primarily known for his sketch comedy channel on YouTube. For his third film, Barker is in post-production on Anything But Ghosts, a supernatural horror film starring Aaron Paul, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Violet McGraw. Like with Obsession, Barker wrote and directed the film.
In addition to that, A24 has hired Barker to both write and direct an upcoming reimagining of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which will be his first film with an established property. Talking to Variety, Barker said his take on Texas Chainsaw Massacre will be “grounded, brutal [and] raw. It should be very, very uncomfortable.” And given the fact that Obsession ticked all of those boxes, Barker’s remake sounds very promising.
