Focus Features wants to make people obsessed with its newest horror movie—and it seems to be working.
Obsession, written and directed by Curry Barker, follows Bear (played by Michael Johnston) as he uses a mysterious, supernatural One Wish Willow toy to make his crush, Nikki (Inde Navarrette), fall in love with him. However, he soon discovers it comes with shockingly sinister and scary results.
The movie was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) last fall and was acquired by Focus Features shortly after in a deal reportedly worth more than $14 million. It also screened at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin earlier this year before getting a wider release last week, opening to an impressive $17 million at the box office against a modest budget of $750,000.
Jason Cassidy, vice chairman of Focus Features, said that when he watched the film at a midnight screening at TIFF, he immediately loved it.
“It’s got something to say, and there’s a real thoughtfulness to it,” Cassidy told Fast Company. “There’s something going on behind the movie in a way that feels interesting and different, and those are the kind of movies that we want to be known for.”
“Putting them right in the story”
Ahead of its wide release, the studio launched a marketing campaign full of real-world and digital elements to generate early hype for the film. One example was bringing the One Wish Willow to life, including a website that sold the toy and a 30-second commercial with a jingle.
According to Focus Features, the video surpassed 5 million views across platforms, and the product sold out within hours.
A specialty store and themed vending machines were also deployed across Los Angeles for a limited time so fans could get the item in real life.
“It is the jumping point in the movie that leads to everything else,” Cassidy said. “It’s immersed in giving them something to own, but also putting them right in the story in a way that feels just very authentic to that experience.”
He said it’s also been fun seeing the traction the products have gained on social media. Across Instagram and TikTok, influencers and fans have created their own videos using the toy.
“We thought it was a blast, and it created a lot of social momentum because people were cracking them open and posting their wishes online,” Cassidy said. “That was one way to create some of that social momentum and serve fans by igniting their passion and engaging them, which is so vital to opening movies today.”
Another part of the campaign included bringing the character of Nikki to life through a fictional text line, via the messaging platform Community, where fans could text the number and receive custom voice notes from Nikki.
The notes were actually voiced by Navarrette. Focus Features reported that the text line has generated around 70,000 subscribers so far.
“[It] brought her as a character and the movie to life in a way that was unexpected for people,” Cassidy said. “When you can be unexpected like that, it can really be sticky.”
To further bring Nikki to life, the studio installed interactive billboards in high-traffic areas of New York City and Los Angeles that featured the number of the text line, as well as what appeared to be handwritten love notes.
Throughout the day, the notes changed and became increasingly unsettling—matching the creepy and chaotic tone of the movie as the plot progresses.
“You’ve got a couple billboards that every other day become a little more unhinged, and if you’re paying attention, it makes you lean in more,” Cassidy said. “It’s a way to give fans something they can talk about, that they can own, that is juicy for them and they can take delight in.”
The success of Obsession so far falls in line with the larger trend of how the horror genre has continued to become popular with moviegoers, especially younger audiences.
According to research from Greenlight Analytics, the film nearly doubled its awareness for audiences under the age of 35 ahead of its prerelease week, led largely by women in that demographic.
Cassidy noted that, alongside Barker’s established fan base, Jason Blum and his company, Blumhouse Productions, served as a production partner and executive producer, helping the film connect with contemporary horror audiences.
“Blum has that reach into the broader horror audience, which absolutely enabled us to extend our tentacles with this one,” he said.
But Cassidy reiterated that it’s Barker’s fan base that really helped with igniting the young fans. Focus Features worked closely with Barker on the campaign, and when the marketing team pitched the idea of bringing the One Wish Willow toy to life, the writer-director collaborated with them every step of the way.
Barker is known as part of the YouTube sketch comedy and horror duo “That’s a Bad Idea,” along with Cooper Tomlinson (who also stars in Obsession). In 2024, Barker self-released his feature-length directorial debut on YouTube for free. Milk & Serial, a found-footage horror film, was shot on an $800 budget.
“What’s so great about Curry is he’s so native to his digital world and he knows his voice and his community, and we absolutely wanted to tap into that,” Cassidy said. “This is a group that has been online their whole life and likes to participate in stuff, and that’s vital to the experience of this.”
In a way, it’s maybe a dream—a wish—come true for Barker, who at the age of 26 is already seeing such early success for his debut feature film.
“It’s been a surreal experience,” Barker said. “You spend years making something and then suddenly you’re watching people all over the world talk about it, engaging with it, and giving it a life of its own. Seeing the One Wish Willows in real life, and selling out in less than 24 hours, is a highlight.”
Earlier this year, it was reported that Anything but Ghosts, another movie from Barker, starring Aaron Paul, will be distributed by Focus Features and is being produced by Blumhouse-Atomic. Barker is also set to write and direct the upcoming reboot of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for A24.
“It’s really exciting discovering Curry and talent like him,” Cassidy said. “He’s a filmmaker that is breaking into the world in such a giant way.”
This story was updated to reflect more accurate reporting on the acquisition price of Obsession and the deal for Anything but Ghosts.