Few films made in 20 days for under £800,000 ($1 million) are expected to become major theatrical events. Focus Features’ ‘Obsession’, an independent horror feature directed, written and edited by Curry Barker, has done so, with a confirmed worldwide box office total of £401.2 million ($501.5 million).
The film was released officially on 15 May after Focus Features bought it for $15 million in a bidding war last October. It earned $17.2 million in its first week, according to the figures in the brief, and has since taken £210.7 million ($263.4 million) in North America and £190.4 million ($238.1 million) internationally.
Other reported totals put its worldwide earnings upwards of $512 million. The differing figures aside, ‘Obsession’ is described as the highest-grossing original film of the 2020s and the highest-grossing project made on a micro-budget. Its reported production budget was £600,000 ($750,000).
The film premiered at the 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival in 2025. It screened at 11:59 p.m. on 5 September 2025 in the festival’s Midnight Madness programme, and Focus Features acquired it directly after that premiere.
At the centre of the film is Inde Navarrette, who plays Nikki opposite Michael Johnston’s Bear, a character who pursues a disturbing obsession through the One Wish Willow. Navarrette said she made a deliberate decision against forming friendships during the shoot, seeking to protect the concentration she believed the role required.
“I really want to focus on the work, and I really want to do this justice. I feel like this is my first opportunity to show range,” Navarrette said.
She said she was concerned that close relationships with colleagues could make it harder to step away and prepare in the way she needed. “I fear that if I make really close friendships with people, that I will be scared to hurt their feelings if I need to go off outside and get myself together for this scene,” she said.
Navarrette described her early working relationship with Barker as professional and focused. She said he would give her five minutes to prepare for scenes. “Now, we've grown to be friends. But at first, it was like, "How can we do this movie justice?"” she said.
The brief does not establish whether other cast or crew members knew of Navarrette’s approach, whether it affected them, or whether it carried a personal cost during the 20-day production. It also gives no account of whether the strategy shaped particular scenes or her character choices.
Focus Features is positioning Navarrette in the best actress category for an Oscar nomination for ‘Obsession’. Variety reported on 3 September that Focus Features would submit her in that category, and she is currently No. 2 in Gold Derby’s experts-only Best Actress leaderboard.
Barker has also received Oscar submissions in the Best Director, Original Screenplay and Film Editing categories. The film’s commercial performance and awards campaign have been followed by Navarrette’s casting as Rogue in Marvel Studios’ upcoming ‘X-Men’ film.
‘Obsession’ offers a stark contrast to the usual assumptions about scale in theatrical releases. Its route from a late-night festival screening to worldwide revenue above £401.2 million has given a small horror production an unusually large commercial reach, while placing its lead performer in the awards conversation.
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