Before Focus Features boarded the project, Curry Barker wasn’t quite sure what to do with Obsession. There was a time, he admits, when he was contemplating uploading it for free on his YouTube channel, the same approach he took with his previous film Milk & Serial.
Made on a budget of less than $1 million, Obsession probably seemed like a long shot in terms of box office viability, but when Focus Features came along and picked it up for a whopping $15 million, that picture changed completely. And so did Curry Barker’s life and career when Obsession scared up over $519 million at the global box office this year, becoming the highest grossing horror movie of the year (so far). But let’s back up just a little bit here…
It was the Toronto International Film Festival screening back in September 2025 that led to Focus Features getting involved, but as you might imagine, Focus wasn’t the only major company looking to spend big on Curry Barker’s wish fulfillment nightmare. Also in the mix?
A24. NEON. And a little streaming service called Netflix.
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While Obsession likely would’ve remained a high profile theatrical release if A24 or NEON ended up getting their hands on the movie, it’s the Netflix option that raises the biggest questions. Would Netflix have brought the film to theaters or taken it straight to streaming? And if Obsession had not been released in theaters, would it have become the cultural phenomenon it has become?
In a new chat with the podcast Q With Tom Power, Curry Barker answers one of those questions.
Barker explains the studio feeding frenzy, “I called my manager. He’s like, ‘Dude, everybody’s putting in a bid for this thing.’ At this time, I’m still thinking maybe small theatrical release. Maybe they just want to acquire it; and also, as a director, I’m thinking, I’m scared of, ‘Are they going to want to change my movie? Are they going to want to take out certain parts that I like?’
“So many questions were being thrown around,” Barker continues…
“I think Netflix was in the conversation at one point. They put in an offer to just put it straight on Netflix. All of these conversations started.”
Of course, it’s impossible to know what Netflix would’ve done with Obsession had they gotten their hands on it, but it’s pretty safe to say that a theatrical release would not have been in the cards. And without the word-of-mouth insanity that was caused by the film’s nationwide theatrical release, it’s hard to imagine Obsession ever achieving quite the same level of success.
It makes you wonder. How many straight-to-streaming movies could’ve been massive box office hits if only they got the chance to play in theaters? As you may recall, a handful of recent horror hits including Smile and Evil Dead Rise were at one time set to debut as streaming exclusives. Both films hit big in theaters, and both films spawned theatrically released sequels as a result.
Not every horror movie ever made will get a theatrical release. Not every horror movie ever made even warrants one. But Obsession suggests that more studios should be open to taking chances.
You just never know when a low budget indie film may become Hollywood’s Next Big Thing.
