Netflix Bid to Send Obsession Straight to Streaming Before It Became a Box Office Phenomenon
Director Curry Barker says Netflix offered to release his low-budget horror film Obsession as a streaming exclusive before Focus Features won the distribution battle and turned it into the biggest box office success story of 2026.
Netflix tried to acquire Curry Barker's low-budget horror film Obsession for a streaming-exclusive release before Focus Features won the distribution battle and turned it into the biggest box office success story of 2026, the director has revealed.
Barker, a comedian turned horror filmmaker, discussed the early days of his record-breaking film during a conversation on Q with Tom Power. He said an early screening of Obsession almost immediately prompted "everybody" to put in offers to distribute the project. Neon, Focus Features, A24, and other companies all wanted to bring his twisted monkey's paw tale under their banner.
Focus eventually won the war, but not before Netflix attempted to steer the project in a different direction. "All of these companies are wanting to do your movie," Barker recalled hearing from his manager. "At this time, I'm still thinking maybe small theatrical release. Maybe they just want to acquire it, and also, as a director, I'm thinking, I'm scared of, 'Are they going to want to change my movie? Are they going to want to take out certain parts that I like?'"
Barker said numerous questions were being thrown around during the negotiation period. "I think Netflix was in the conversation at one point. They put in an offer to just put it straight on Netflix. All of these conversations started," he said.
Netflix has infamously strayed from traditional theatrical releases in the past, with rare exceptions. Before Paramount swooped in to acquire Warner Bros., the streaming giant was reportedly only interested in keeping its new slate of films in theaters for a little more than two weeks. Its movie boss, Dan Lin, said in June that the company "just won't work with" filmmakers who push to bring their films to theaters.
All signs pointed to a streaming-exclusive release for Obsession had Barker signed with Netflix. Instead, audiences spent months swarming movie theaters to see how stars Inde Navarrette, Michael Johnston, Cooper Tomlinson, and Megan Lawless helped bring the director's vision to life.
The film brought home massive early returns at the box office on its notably low $750,000 budget and then continued to surprise before reaching an unbelievable global total of $519.4 million. It was an unprecedented run that almost did not happen if Netflix had proved victorious in the distribution battle.
There is no telling whether Obsession would have had the same impact if it had remained available to stream from the start. Barker and his collaborators are likely content with how things turned out, given the film's extraordinary theatrical performance and the cultural conversation it generated.
Although Barker and Tomlinson are still working on getting their next feature, Anything But Ghosts, ready for release, the director does have some ideas for a sequel in mind, even if it will be a while before Obsession 2 gets off the ground.
The film's success story has become a notable case study in the ongoing debate over theatrical versus streaming releases, particularly for low-budget genre films that might otherwise struggle to find a wide audience. Obsession earned an 8 out of 10 in reviews, further cementing its status as both a critical and commercial triumph.
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