Indie “Obsession” turns $750,000 into $79.7M

Obsession $79.7M – Curry Barker’s indie horror “Obsession”—made in just 20 days on a $750,000 budget—has surged after its second weekend in theaters, projecting $79.7 million worldwide, including $58.5 million in North America. The breakthrough caps a fast-moving journey from Yo

The first time Curry Barker watched “Obsession” catch fire, he didn’t call it a breakthrough. He called it responsibility.

In a video interview last week. the 26-year-old YouTuber-turned-filmmaker described what it felt like when the movie went from festival buzz to something far bigger—while he and his team still had no idea what would happen next. “When we made ‘Obsession,’ we had no idea what was going to happen,” Barker said. “As the leader of the ship, I had to tell the people: ‘This is going to be huge. You guys have to give this a year. because it’s going to be something special.’ But that’s just because that’s my job. to champion the movie. Really, I had no idea… It was insane when we even just got into TIFF.”.

That sense of disbelief has only deepened as the film’s theatrical momentum has continued. After its second weekend in theaters. the Focus Features-distributed horror movie is on track to earn more than 100 times its original budget. with an expected $79.7 million haul at the global box office. Box Office Mojo tracks the global theatrical totals for that projection. Of the expected $79.7 million, $58.5 million came from North American theaters.

The scale has turned heads in a genre where such comebacks are rarely seen. Jason Blum—who served as an executive producer on “Obsession”—said the growth pattern is extraordinary. On Sunday. Blum wrote on X that “Obsession is the ONLY wide-release horror film on record to grow in its second weekend at this scale — $22.4M. up 30% over opening.” He added: “This doesn’t happen in horror.”.

For Barker, the numbers land at the intersection of two unlikely ingredients: speed and an online audience that refused to stay on the sidelines.

He made “Obsession” in just 20 days on a mere $750,000 budget. The film is the latest project from a YouTuber to surpass industry expectations—continuing a trend that’s been building around creator-led storytelling. Before “Obsession. ” Mark Fischbach. known online as Markiplier. helped turn “Iron Lung”—a self-financed indie video game adaptation—into a major box office success after its February rollout. That moment renewed interest in indie projects from online creators. Another example is “Backrooms. ” an A24 movie from 20-year-old YouTuber Kane Parsons. which is also looking toward a big opening weekend.

“Obsession” has its own hook. The movie stars Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette and is described as a romance-horror that plays on the idea that people should be careful about what—or who—they wish for.

The critical reception has been equally strong. On Rotten Tomatoes, “Obsession” has amassed a 95% fresh “Tomatometer” score from critics and a 94% hot “Popcornmeter” score from audiences.

Barker’s path to that screen space also carries a Hollywood plot twist. Before the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September, Barker was primarily known on YouTube. He had built an audience through projects like “Milk and Serial,” a thriller that follows a duo of YouTube pranksters. After “Obsession” made its festival debut, studios were so impressed that they entered a bidding war. Focus ultimately acquired the film for $15 million.

He frames that deal—plus the momentum afterward—as the latest turn in what he sees as a changing attitude toward creator content and distribution.

When asked why he thinks YouTubers are getting more recognition in Hollywood. Barker said he believes filmmakers and producers are “wisening up” about sharing and discovering content on the Google-owned video platform. “We’re finally getting to the point where people are like. OK. fine. I’ll put my film on YouTube. ” he said. “Versus when I was in film school, that was kind of like a last resort. People didn’t want to put their stuff on YouTube. They wanted to go the festival route. I was like, screw it. You know, just put it on YouTube and see what happens.”.

The theatrical surge is turning that gamble into something more concrete. It also underscores how quickly Barker’s momentum has accelerated after TIFF. He’s already earned the industry’s attention for what comes next, with Hollywood showing trust in his future endeavors.

Barker said he has another film in the works titled “Anything But Ghosts,” and he also confirmed that A24 recently tapped him to helm a reimagining of “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.”

“The opportunities that I have right now are pretty insane,” Barker said. “But I’m just trying to keep my head down and focus on what’s important to me, you know?”

For a movie that began as a $750. 000 sprint made in 20 days. “Obsession” is now proving that speed and scale don’t have to stay in separate worlds. It’s still early enough that anything could change—but the second-weekend growth is already writing its own new rulebook for what wide-release horror can do.

Curry Barker Obsession indie horror box office Focus Features Jason Blum TIFF 2025 Rotten Tomatoes Markiplier Iron Lung Kane Parsons Backrooms A24 Texas Chain Saw Massacre