Low-budget horror film Obsession, directed by first-time filmmaker Curry Barker, has become one of the most profitable films in cinema history, earning more than $400 million worldwide after its release in May.
Premiering at the Toronto Film Festival last year, the film quickly gained momentum through word of mouth, particularly among Gen Z horror fans. Made for an estimated $750,000 to $1 million, its financial success has propelled 26-year-old Barker from YouTube creator to one of Hollywood’s most sought-after new directors.
“In terms of the ratio between the worldwide box office and the production budget, Obsession is going to be the biggest success of all time,” Bruce Nash, founder of industry-tracking website The Numbers, told AFP.
With global ticket sales approaching $430 million, the film has already surpassed the 1999 horror classic The Blair Witch Project, which grossed around $250 million on a reported $600,000 budget. While blockbusters such as Avatar, Frozen and Titanic earned far higher totals, they were produced with budgets hundreds of times larger.
Barker’s achievement also eclipses another surprise horror success of 2026, Backrooms, directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons, which has earned around $360 million on a budget of about $10 million. Their success highlights the growing influence of young online creators making the leap to feature filmmaking.
“They’re very encouraging for the future of cinema,” Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan said.
Originally from Alabama, Barker moved to Los Angeles after high school to pursue filmmaking and acting. Before his breakthrough, he worked a series of jobs, including flipping burgers, working at Starbucks and taking production roles in television, including overseeing Covid safety protocols. Alongside creative partner Cooper Tomlinson, he built an online audience through comedy videos and horror shorts on social media and their YouTube channel, "That’s a Bad Idea."
The film follows a young man who uses a magical charm called the “One Wish Willow” to make his longtime friend fall in love with him, triggering disturbing and violent consequences while exploring themes of toxic relationships, dating culture and consent.
Universal’s Focus Features acquired the film’s distribution rights for $15 million after its Toronto premiere. Barker is now preparing his second feature, Anything But Ghosts, starring himself and Tomlinson, and has also been chosen to direct a new adaptation of the 1974 horror classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
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