All articles tagged with #curry barker
Curry Barker’s horror film Obsession has dominated theaters, crossing $200M globally and becoming Focus Features’ top earner; as it expands to home video, Obsession drops on PVOD today (June 30) for digital purchase or rental on Prime Video and Apple TV, priced at $24.99 to buy or $19.99 to rent; a Peacock release date is expected but none announced yet.
Curry Barker is developing his third feature—a new original horror concept—that he will write, direct and produce, with Universal distributing worldwide through its film arm after Barker's ties with Blumhouse Atomic Monster and Universal Film Group; the project is based on an original Barker pitch, with plot details kept under wraps, and follows Barker's debut Obsession and his second film Anything But Ghosts, which is in post-production.
Curry Barker will write, direct and produce his third horror feature for Universal, reuniting with Blumhouse-Atomic Monster; the untitled project is based on an original Barker idea with plot details kept under wraps, produced by Roy Lee and Steven Schneider’s Spooky Pictures and Adam Hendricks and Greg Gilreath’s Divide/Conquer, and will be distributed worldwide by Universal Film Group.
Universal Film Group and Blumhouse Atomic Monster have landed Curry Barker to write, direct, and produce an original horror feature, marking his third collaboration with Blumhouse Atomic Monster and Universal in a rich eight-figure deal that keeps him in the Universal family after Barker’s breakout Obsession (distributed by Focus Features). The project, described as Barker’s original horror idea, is being produced by Roy Lee’s Spooky Pictures and Adam Hendricks and Greg Gilreath’s Divide/Conquer, with worldwide rights handled by Universal. Barker’s Obsession has become a cultural phenomenon with strong box-office performance and festival buzz, and Blumhouse’s partners James Wan and Jason Blum praised Barker’s originality and the potential of the new project.
Obsession, a breakout horror film from first‑time director Curry Barker, is being positioned for a major Oscar campaign after posting $265 million globally and redefining horror’s prestige path, with Inde Navarrette singled out as a potential youngest Latina Best Actress nominee.
Curry Barker, a 26-year-old Alabama-born filmmaker, rode the breakout success of Obsession—made for just $750,000 and nearing $300 million globally—to become Hollywood’s hottest new horror director, with Focus Features backing an awards push, major studio interest, and next projects including a Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot and Anything But Ghosts. Barker explains the unbelievable momentum, his commitment to creative freedom, collaboration with Cooper Tomlinson, and plans to build a production company while targeting original storytelling for Gen Z audiences.
Obsession has crossed $200 million globally, becoming Focus Features’ biggest film ever, with about $151 million domestic; its fourth-weekend hold of 7% on a $25.6 million frame set horror records and underscores Curry Barker’s breakout status after an indie $750,000 shoot and a TIFF acquisition around $15 million.
The Hollywood Reporter debunks online rumors that viral horror filmmakers Kane Parsons (Backrooms) and Curry Barker (Obsession) had established Hollywood directors ghost-directing their films; insiders say creator-driven talent from YouTube is a legitimate, growing path to big-screen opportunities, with defenders noting classist skepticism and citing examples like Markiplier’s Iron Lung as evidence that Hollywood is increasingly embracing online creators.
The Hollywood Reporter profiles Tea Shop Productions founders James Harris and Mark Lane, who discovered Curry Barker’s The Chair, funded Obsession with a modest budget, and built a global hit by prioritizing creative control and operating outside the major studio system. The piece traces their rise with hits like 47 Meters Down and Fall, their commitment to backing first-time directors, and how Obsession has given them more freedom to pursue projects they love.
Curry Barker’s debut horror film Obsession has burst onto the domestic box office, grossing well over $60–68 million on a $750,000 budget in under two weeks. Over the Memorial Day weekend, it earned $23.9 million in the three-day span—a 39% jump from opening weekend—marking the biggest second-weekend spike in modern times for a wide release outside Christmas. Focus Features won distribution rights after Toronto for about $15 million, and the movie is in roughly 2,755 theaters, with about 75% of early audiences aged 18–34, signaling strong Gen Z enthusiasm and momentum toward a $70 million domestic run.
Curry Barker, the Obsession filmmaker who rose from YouTube to Hollywood, is already drawing eight-figure offers for his next original project, with Universal in play via Blumhouse-Atomic Monster’s right of first negotiation; Barker has already shot Anything But Ghosts for Focus and is linked to Texas Chainsaw Massacre for A24, as industry interest grows following Obsession’s breakout performance and the rise of YouTube-created horror talent.
Curry Barker’s debut feature Obsession defies norms by delivering a blockbuster return on a $1 million budget: it opened to $17 million domestically and $23.9 million over Memorial Day, bringing the global total to about $75 million. The horror film also posted a second-weekend rise of roughly 30–39%, a rare feat for a wide-release horror title. Barker, who first drew attention from a YouTube short, has earned praise from Blumhouse’s Jason Blum as the industry watches a new rising talent, even as a younger YouTube-made horror rival—Kane Parsons’s Backrooms—moves toward theaters.
In a spoiler-filled interview, Michael Johnston argues that Bear is a morally gray figure rather than the film’s outright villain, detailing his motivations, the controversial “What’s so bad about being with me?” moment with Nikki, the dynamics with Ian and Sarah, and how the ending and Curry Barker’s direction invite audiences to grapple with desire, consent, and consequence.
Focus Features' Obsession, a $750,000-budget horror by Curry Barker, surged in its second weekend to $23.9 million (over Memorial Day, $30M with Monday), finishing No. 2 behind The Mandalorian and Grogu and marking an unprecedented 39% weekend rise for a horror title opening on 2,000+ screens. With worldwide gross over $80 million, the film’s success underscores a trend of low-budget horrors thriving and highlights the growing influence of YouTubers in promoting horror cinema.
Indie horror Obsession, shot for $750,000 in 20 days by Curry Barker, is projected to gross about $79.7 million globally in its second weekend (roughly $58.5 million in North America), a rare growth for the genre praised by Jason Blum. The TIFF debut spurred a bidding war and Focus Features acquired the project, highlighting how YouTube creators are reshaping Hollywood and expanding Barker’s slate with future projects like a Texas Chain Saw Massacre remake.