Keep an eye out on this. “Michael” took the top spot at the box-office this weekend with a $26M tally, but it's reign might be very short-lived as an unlikely indie has momentum.
Curry Barker’s “Obsession,” which finished third, with a $17M debut, had a better Monday earning close to $3M compared to “Michael” at $2.7M. Barker’s film has some major legs, spurred by excellent word-of-mouth, including an “A-” CinemaScore, which is extremely rare for a horror movie.
Focus picked up “Obsession” at TIFF for $15M, but word is starting to come out that the budget for the film, the money Barker amassed to make this horror indie hit, was just $750K. An astonishing performance for such a budget.
No wonder, right after its premiere at TIFF, studios were surrounding Barker. He immediately inked a deal to make a film with Paramount. Shot a film with Focus, starring Aaron Paul, and was hired by A24 to direct their ‘Texas Chainsaw’ debut. Not bad for a filmmaker who just turned 26.