Box Office Bonus Deal Fuels Debate Over Indie Film Pay: The Case of “Obsession”

“Obsession” is a psychological thriller about a magical wish gone wrong, produced for $750,000 by Under the Shell, Tea Shop Productions, and Capstone Pictures. The film debuted in the midnight program of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, generating buzz that led Focus Features to acquire it for $15 million. Released in May 2024, the movie posted an unusual box-office pattern, earning more in its second weekend than its opening weekend and again increasing in its third weekend. Domestic receipts have topped $150 million, and worldwide gross exceeds $229 million, positioning it among a select group of horror titles to surpass $200 million domestically before inflation.

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Jason Blum’s joint venture Blumhouse Atomic, the 2024 partnership of Blumhouse Productions and James Wan’s Atomic Monster, negotiated a performance-based payout for “Obsession.” The contract awarded a $2 million bonus once domestic earnings reached $25 million, then $500,000 for each additional $5 million. With the film now over $150 million domestically, Blumhouse Atomic has collected roughly $17 million, according to three insiders. Capstone Pictures, a co-producer, is projected to receive $45-$50 million, while Focus Features expects about $125 million from its distribution share. The bonus earnings for Blumhouse exceed the reported payouts to director Curry Barker and producer Haley Nicole Johnson, highlighting a tiered profit distribution that favors executive producers in successful indie acquisitions.

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At the Produced By conference in late May, Jason Blum said he joined “Obsession” after Focus requested marketing support, a role that led to his bonus arrangement. Blumhouse Atomic declined comment on the specific figures, and neither Capstone Pictures nor Focus Features responded to inquiries about their earnings.

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Art director Sally Choi posted that she earned under $7,000 for cross-department work on the film, noting that such low pay is common for below-the-line crew. She described crew members as “a line in the budget sheet to keep as low as possible.” An insider said Blum “gets to brag about a movie he got put on after they acquired it, and he gets paid more than anybody else, that’s Hollywood.”

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Barker’s follow-up feature “Anything but Ghosts,” financed by Blum and starring Barker, is in post-production and slated for release in the next year.

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• “They asked us about helping market and get behind ‘Obsession,’ which we did,” — Jason Blum, Producer

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• “He gets to brag about a movie he got put on after they acquired it, and he gets paid more than anybody else, that’s Hollywood,” — Unnamed industry insider

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• “This is the reality of most filmmakers, especially those who work below the line. We become a line in the budget sheet to keep as low as possible.” — Sally Choi, Art Director

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• “Maybe we can turn a tide in the film industry,” — Sally Choi, Art Director

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