By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 17 seconds ago
Avengers: Doomsday could break $1.5 billion, The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day could each set records, and yet, all three of them would still not be as profitable as Obsession. The little horror movie that could has legged out its theatrical run for so long, that’s it’s still playing in theaters while available to stream on Peacock. That it debuted as the number one movie on Peacock isn’t a surprise, by now, everyone expected it to be a smash hit on streaming.
Obsession Breaks One Of The Genie’s Rules
Online discourse around Obsession has become focused on, sit down for a moment because this will surprise you, the actual plot and characters in the movie itself. Curry Barker’s horror about a wish gone wrong kicked off a raging discussion over who’s the villain of the movie? Is it the Bear-obsessed Nikki (Inde Navarette)? Is it Bear (Michael Johnston), who naively wished for Nikki to love him? Or is it Ian (Cooper Tomlinson), Bear’s best friend, who decided to keep a secret from his bestie?
There’s a clear answer to that but it’s how Obsession gets there that’s turned out to be the truly unsettling part of the story. Bear’s use of the One Wish Willow to have Nikki love him more than anyone else in the world is why in Aladdin the Genie says he won’t make anyone fall in love. What begins as a Monkey’s Paw fable, takes a turn, and the result is the single most profitable film in decades.
Obsession Is Only The Beginning
Obsession famously cost $750,000 to make, but it’s earned $430 million and counting. Percentage-wise, no one can beat it this year. In a world of ballooning Hollywood budgets, it broke the mold and proved, yet again, that horror can be cheap to make, but if it hits the right audience at the right time, there’s nothing else like it.
Every choice made in the production and marketing of Obsession worked out. From the framing of that shot from inside the car, you’ll know it the moment you see it, to the old-school trailer that explained the plot without giving away the entire movie (what a novel concept). Inde Navarette’s “no no no no” line reading became a meme, and alongside Johnston, both leads gave career-making performances.
The next step for Curry Barker is Anything But Ghosts, already in post-production, and bringing back Cooper Tomlinson as a fake paranormal investigator who stumbles across real ghosts. That and he’ll be helming the next entry in a small horror franchise, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Maybe you’ve heard of it?
Obsession is the biggest streaming hit on Peacock so far this year. To give you an idea how weak the Peacock lineup has been lately, it’s sharing the top ten with Ocean’s 11, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Fast Five. Not bad movies, but also, not new ones either. Now that it’s available for streaming, prepare for Obsession to stay in your social media feed for the next few months. People are obsessed with this movie.
