How Focus Features and Curry Barker thought outside the box to make horror fans obsessed with 'Obsession'

Obsession follows Bear as he uses a mysterious One Wish Willow toy to make his crush fall in love, but the wish produces sinister consequences. The film premiered at TIFF, was acquired by Focus Features for over $15 million, and later screened at SXSW before a wider release. The movie opened to $17 million at the box office on a $750,000 budget. Focus Features’ vice chairman praised the film’s thoughtfulness and distinctiveness. Ahead of release, the studio built a marketing campaign that brought the toy into real life through a selling website and a 30-second commercial with a jingle. The video gained over 5 million views and the product sold out within hours, while themed vending machines and a specialty store appeared in Los Angeles temporarily.

"Obsession, written and directed by Curry Barker, follows Bear (Michael Johnston) as he uses a mysterious, supernatural One Wish Willow toy to make his crush, Nikki (Inde Navarrette), fall in love with him. However, he soon discovers it comes with shockingly sinister and scary results."

"The movie was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) last fall and was acquired by Focus Features shortly after in a deal reportedly worth more than $15 million. It also screened at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin earlier this year before getting a wider release last week, opening to an impressive $17 million at the box office against a modest $750,000 budget."

"Ahead of its wide release, the studio launched a marketing campaign full of real-world and digital elements to generate early hype for the film. One example was bringing the One Wish Willow to life, including a website that sold the toy, as well as a 30-second commercial that included a jingle. According to Focus Features, the video surpassed 5 million views across platforms, and the product sold out within hours."

"A specialty store and themed vending machines were also deployed across Los Angeles for a limited time so fans could get the item in real life. "It is the jumping point in the movie that leads to everything else," Cassidy said. "It's immersed in giving them something to own, but also putting them right in the story in a way that fee"

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