Hollywood Throws Eight-Figure Deal at Obsession Director Curry Barker—No Pitch Needed
If Universal blinks, Curry Barker’s next original movie could ignite a studio bidding war.
Studios are throwing real money at Curry Barker right now. When your $750,000 horror movie turns into a profit machine, people start waving checkbooks before you have so much as a logline. And yes, someone already tried.
The offer (and the fine print)
Per The Hollywood Reporter, one studio went straight to the nuclear option: a $10 million deal for Barker's next original film, sight unseen. No pitch. No pages. Just 8 figures for the privilege of being next.
There was one problem. Before Focus Features released 'Obsession,' its producers — the Blumhouse/Atomic Monster team — already had a deal at Universal that gives Universal first crack at negotiating Barker's next original. Once that condition came to light, the eager bidder backed off.
Another studio is also quietly angling to work with him, and if Universal and Blumhouse/Atomic Monster decide not to move forward, Barker could land with one of those courters — or anyone else willing to go bigger. THR says a bidding war could climb as high as $20 million. To be clear: outside of that pulled $10 million overture, there are no official negotiations or signed offers yet.
"OBSESSION is expected to pass $80M worldwide by tomorrow. Over 100X its production budget of $750K."
- DiscussingFilm, May 24, 2026
Why everyone is scrambling: the numbers
- Budget: $750,000
- TIFF deal: Focus Features bought 'Obsession' for $15 million
- Opening weekend (domestic): $17.1 million
- Second weekend (domestic): $23.9 million
- Domestic total to date: $62.3 million
- Worldwide: expected to top $80 million by May 24, 2026
What Barker is actually shooting next: 'Anything But Ghosts'
Separate from the free-agency frenzy around his next original, Barker already has a finished shoot in the can. 'Anything But Ghosts' is co-written by Barker and Cooper Tomlinson, directed by Barker, and shot in Vancouver. He is currently in the edit.
Cast-wise, Barker and Tomlinson step in front of the camera alongside three-time Primetime Emmy winner Aaron Paul, plus Bryce Dallas Howard and Violet McGraw.
The hook: two con artists running a fake ghost- hunting racket stumble into an actual dark entity, and their scam snowballs into the real thing.
Focus Features backed this one even before 'Obsession' took off. Producers include Blumhouse Productions, Atomic Monster, Spooky Pictures, and Divide/Conquer. It is intended for theaters, but there is no release date yet.
Bottom line
Studios do not toss $10 million at a blank page unless they think you are about to be The Guy. Universal gets the first shot at Barker's next original, which slows down the bidding sprint, but it does not end it. If the guardrails come off, that $20 million talk will heat up fast. In the meantime, keep an eye on 'Anything But Ghosts' — that is the one you are actually seeing next.