Before Curry Barker has pitched a single idea for his next original film, at least one major studio has already put $10 million on the table to make it. That figure — a preemptive offer for a project with no script, no pitch, and no attached producers — reflects the staggering commercial authority Barker has accumulated in less than two weeks of wide release.
Sources say the studio moved off its position after learning that Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, the production banner behind Obsession, holds the right of first negotiations for Barker’s next original feature through a pre-existing first-look deal with Universal. A second studio is reported to be preparing its own approach. Should Universal and Blumhouse fail to agree on terms with Barker, a bidding war that could reach $20 million is considered a realistic outcome.
The frenzy traces back to numbers that have repeatedly confounded industry expectations. Made for a reported $750,000, Obsession earned $23.9 million in its second weekend, climbing past the record-breaking opening of The Mandalorian and Grogu in the cultural conversation if not in raw dollars. Jason Blum, an executive producer on the film, called it “the ONLY wide-release horror film on record to grow in its second weekend at this scale.” The film has now generated $62 million in North America and $84.6 million worldwide after just two weekends — easily recouping the $15 million Focus Features paid to acquire it at the Toronto International Film Festival last September.
Obsession earned a rare A- CinemaScore, with nearly 40 percent of ticket sales coming from viewers under 25 — a demographic Hollywood has spent years trying to reclaim through franchise sequels and IP revivals with diminishing returns.
Barker, 26, is already deep into his next projects. He has reteamed with Blumhouse and Focus on Anything But Ghosts, in which he co-stars alongside Aaron Paul and Bryce Dallas Howard, and is also set to direct A24’s reboot of Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
His ascent arrives alongside that of Kane Parsons, a 20-year-old YouTube filmmaker whose A24 horror film Backrooms opens this weekend. Based on early tracking, it is projected to open between $40 million and $50 million, which would shatter A24’s all-time opening weekend record of $25.5 million, set by Alex Garland’s Civil War in 2024. Earlier this year, YouTuber Markiplier directed and self-distributed Iron Lung, which earned $50 million against a $3 million budget.
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“The moment is here,” one studio head said. “YouTube is blessing these filmmakers and we are struggling to catch up. Right now, it’s about us not being second to the party.”
