How YouTube creator Curry Barker turned his filmmaking dreams into Obsession
Barker built a following making YouTube content. Now Obsession, his horror film made for US$750,000, has grossed over US$300 million
Days before Obsession opened in cinemas across the US, its 26-year-old director, Curry Barker, made a bet with his manager and agent. They said if the film opened with more than US$20 million at the box office, they would all get tattoos.
Obsession fell just short. It debuted with US$17 million. They were still thrilled. Barker made the horror film with just US$750,000. It was enormously successful. But then something unexpected happened. The following weekend, Obsession easily cleared US$20 million. And then it did again and again and almost a fourth time.
“It was just like: holy cow. I didn’t think that was an option,” Barker says. “Now we’ve said if it hits US$300 million, we’ll all get the tattoo. We had to make a new milestone. And I think we’ll reach it.”
Over the last month, Obsession has sent shock waves through Hollywood. Barker’s microbudget thriller has now indeed crossed the US$300 million mark worldwide, and it is still going. The film is scheduled for release in Hong Kong on July 1.
Barker, who built a following making sketches and short films on YouTube, is living the dream of every aspiring filmmaker.