Topline
A low-budget horror flick starring relative unknowns has become the surprise hit of the summer with an impressive $28.2 million gross in its second weekend, a 30% increase from one week ago, capitalizing on the popularity of its online creator’s past work, a viral marketing gimmick and possibly a younger generation’s cynical feelings about romance.
Key Facts
“Obsession,” made on a budget between $750,000 and $1 million by 26-year-old Curry Barker, has capitalized on word of mouth success and a buzzy performance from breakout star Inde Navarrette to achieve what industry publications are calling “virtually unprecedented.”
The film earned $17.2 million from 2,615 theatres its opening weekend—well above projections of $10 million to $12 million—and then saw a rare second-weekend boost thanks to overwhelmingly positive praise, online buzz and an immersive guerrilla marketing campaign that made it the only wide release horror film of the century to earn more in its second weekend.
Barker and star Cooper Tomlinson, the YouTube sketch duo called “that’s a bad idea,” capitalized on their fan base of more than 1 million followers to promote the film and capitalized on how horror movies can gain viral popularity, something the duo discovered with the 2024 YouTube thriller “Milk & Serial”, which they made for $800 but has racked up 2.7 million views.
After a rapturous reception at the Toronto International Film Festival, distributor Focus Features acquired “Obsession” for $15 million and pivoted the film from a slow indie roll out straight into an aggressive nationwide release.
Focus built buzz for the movie with cryptic billboards plastered across Los Angeles and New York that grew more frantic and chaotic as the film’s release drew near—mirroring the on-screen romantic “obsession” for which the movie is named.
‘obsession’s’ Marketing Gimmicks Spanned Posters To Influencers
The billboards asked viewers to text a phone number and the ensuing text campaign, which went viral on TikTok and Instagram, met those who participated with custom voice notes recorded by Navarrette labeled as “unhinged” and “terrifying” (more than 70,000 people had participated as of Friday).Focus also targeted word-of-mouth directly at engaged horror fans, in part by partnering with digital creators and influencers to generate reviews on the the movie-focused social app Letterboxd. The distributor also offered the magical device from the film, the “One Wish Willow,” for sale in specialty stores, themed vending machines and online, where it sold out within hours and was later listed on eBay at 10 times its original price of $6.99. The One Wish Willow then popped up in influencer and fan videos on Instagram and TikTok, which Jason Cassidy, vice chairman of Focus Features, told FastCompany “created a lot of social momentum” for the film.
Crucial Quote
“What’s so great about Curry (Barker) is he’s so native to his digital world and he knows his voice and his community, and we absolutely wanted to tap into that,” Cassidy said. “This is a group that has been online their whole life and likes to participate in stuff, and that’s vital to the experience of this.”
Surprising Fact
The last time a film saw such a large increase in its second weekend was the controversial “Sound of Freedom”—which had strong MAGA and QAnon conspiracy movement ties—which saw a 39% spike in summer of 2023 following a right wing push to support the film.
Key Background
“Obsession” has a 95% critics score and 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, ranking it among recent beloved (and bigger budget) horror flicks like “Sinners” and “The Invisible Man.” The film flips the classic “cursed wish” trope on its head when Bear, a socially awkward music store employee, makes a wish for his co-worker Nikki to fall in love with him. The wish is granted, but Nikki (Navarrette) develops an obsession with Bear that becomes increasingly extreme, and clearly against her will. Critics have praised Navarrette for her empathy-provoking performance, a rarity among horror movie villains, and several critics have called on voters to remember her next awards season. “It’s Navarrette, though, who truly gives the film its mojo,” wrote Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter.”(She) delivers such a virtuosic performance as the spellbound Nikki that she’ll induce nightmares for anyone who’s ever wondered what exactly the hell is going on with their romantic partner.”
Contra
Negative reviews called the movie a “skin crawling male fantasy film.” Odie Henderson of the Boston Globe wrote, “the screenplay tries to say something about female autonomy and male selfishness, yet the film plays like an overlong, 108-minute riff on the old reliable stand-up routine subject ‘girlfriends be crazy’ that never subverts the trope.” Those reactions, however, are part of what made the film popular. “Obsession” has been described as an “incel horror” film that explores an awkward man’s feeling of entitlement over his disinterested co-worker’s affections with little regard for his curse’s effect on her autonomy. The movie’s premise—parasocial obsession and manipulation disguised as romance—may have hit a nerve with younger audiences who are reportedly more fearful and less interested in romance.
What To Watch For
What Barker does next. He’s set to write and direct a reboot of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” for A24 and Focus Features will distribute another of his films, “Anything but Ghosts” starring Arron Paul.
