Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jun 15
Focus Features Honors Curry Barker as $750,000 Obsession Nears $300 Million
Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jun 15

Focus Features Honors Curry Barker as $750,000 Obsession Nears $300 Million

3 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jun 15

Summary

  • 250 Focus Features employees surprised 26-year-old Curry Barker with champagne and a gold-cased One Wish Willow prop after Obsession became the studio’s biggest film ever.
  • Made for $750,000, the horror hit is nearing $300 million worldwide after defying an $8 million-$10 million opening forecast and posting rare week-over-week gains.
  • That breakout has rapidly elevated Barker’s standing: he has already shot follow-up film Anything But Ghosts, signed to write and direct an A24 Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot, and says one company offered $10 million for any idea.
  • Barker said the film’s success reflected creative freedom on a low-stakes project and argued Gen Z audiences still want original movies rather than franchise-driven “slop.”

Insights

After championing original stories, why is Barker's next major project a reboot of the 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' franchise?
Is a $750K horror film's triumph a replicable model, or just a lightning-in-a-bottle moment for Hollywood?