This year, two young filmmakers completely changed the box office with two horror films: Obsession and Backrooms. Both indie films had first-time directors and extremely low budgets.
Obsession became 2026’s biggest surprise, as the film is looking at becoming one of the biggest box office hits compared to its budget. The indie horror, which also features fantastic reviews, had a mere $750k budget. In a new report online, lead star Inde Navarrette’s salary went viral after the film’s massive success.
Obsession Started a Conversation
The indie horror doesn’t feature already-famous actors, and has Navarrette play Nikki Freeman, after playing a main role in both Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why and The CW’s Superman & Lois. The movie’s success started a conversation about original films, especially those with a more modest budget, and how they fit into the current entertainment environment. It also opened a conversation about a movie’s finances and box office gross.
The report surfacing online alleges the actress was only paid $20k for her role as Nikki Freeman. Considering the film’s extreme budget, that is not uncommon. However, fans took to social media to address the unexpected salary.
“I don’t understand why they couldn’t just give every cast and crew member like… 5% of the revenue,” wrote one person on social media. This started a whole conversation about financing, movie distribution, theaters’ percentages, and marketing costs.
“She’s basically earning more in YouTube revenue than the 20K offered for starring in the movie OBSESSION,” wrote one user, adding a screenshot of Navarrette’s YouTube channel, which had 158k views.
However, some of the discourse rightfully addressed the fact that starring in one of the most successful films gave her more exposure than a one-time salary. “And she’ll get 100 times as much for her next movie. That’s how career progression works,” explained one user.
Navarrette’s salary wasn’t officially confirmed, and even if it is so, it might not be exactly what the actress ended up with in the bank. Actors generally have to pay their managers, agents, and their own taxes before taking anything home. However, that doesn’t mean Navarrette doesn’t have more exciting options ahead, especially with the praise for her performance.
Obsession Is Killing It in Theaters
The horror film follows Bear, a music store employee who buys a supernatural toy that grants his wish for his friend Nikki to fall in love with him, resulting in horrifying consequences.
The movie comes from 26-year-old YouTuber Curry Barker, who wrote, directed, and edited the film. Michael Johnston played Bear, alongside Cooper Tomlinson as Ian, Megan Lawless as Sarah Harper, Andy Richter as Carter Harper, and Haley Fitzgerald as Viola.
Obsession premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, before hitting theaters on May 15, where it turned into a sleeper hit. While its first couple of weeks were encouraging, it started gaining traction slowly. It has grossed $229.4 million worldwide on a mere $750k budget. It’s expected to end its theatrical run with $300+ million. It also became Fox’s highest-grossing film ever.
At the same time, it also enchanted critics, who gave it a fantastic 95% Certified Fresh score, something that was echoed by the audience, with a Verified Hot 94% approval.
Obsession is currently playing in theaters.
- Release Date
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May 15, 2026
- Runtime
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108 minutes
- Director
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Curry Barker