Malia MendezJune 23, 2026 — 7:00pmThe indie horror film Obsession is an unmistakable sign of Generation Z’s box-office power, an original movie that has made $US300 million ($430 million) in the US on a $750,000 budget. In Australia, it has grossed more than $19 million – an extraordinary figure for a horror movie in the local market.It is a blockbuster theatrical debut for 26-year-old writer and director Curry Barker; the biggest hit ever for Focus Features; and a financial boon for Jason Blum, horror impresario and executive producer. It is also a welcome boost to cinemas, which take home about half of ticket sales.But not everybody gets a cut of the windfall.Inde Navarrette and Michael Johnston share a scene in the frighteningly successful horror-flick Obsession. Focus Features via APRekindling a debate about who should benefit when a small production becomes a global phenomenon, the art director of Obsession disclosed her pay cheque for about three weeks of work: $US6741.36, after taxes.Sally Choi wrote on social media that she had agreed to the rate but was living pay cheque to pay cheque. She said she filled many roles, as staff on low-budget productions commonly do, and suffered a “physical toll” that caused her to lose weight.“This is the reality of most filmmakers, especially those who work below the line,” Choi wrote. “We become a line in the budget sheet to keep as low as possible.”Choi and representatives for Blumhouse Productions and Barker did not respond to requests for comment. A representative for Focus Features declined to comment.Profit-sharing has long been a point of contention in the entertainment industry: After the success of Hamilton on Broadway, cast members negotiated themselves a percentage of the earnings.Obsession, which features Inde Navarrette as a lovesick girlfriend, is not the first horror film to wildly transcend expectations. When it happened to The Blair Witch Project in 1999, directors and writers Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez were stunned. Even after promising early reactions, they thought they would at best draw the buzz of fellow indies El Mariachi and Clerks.In Australia alone, Obsession has grossed more than $19 million.Focus Features via APInstead, their pet project made nearly $US250 million worldwide, not adjusting for inflation, on a budget of about $US60,000.In an interview, Sánchez said they tried to be generous, allocating a share of profits to anyone who had made creative contributions and rehiring production staff for reshoots. He recalled his team writing checks to one crew member who they felt deserved more pay.“It wasn’t like we gave up hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Sánchez said. “We just tried to equalise a little bit.”Callie Hernandez in a scene from 1999’s breakout hit The Blair Witch Project.