You can catch 'Obsession' at SM Cinemas, Gateway Cineplex starting June 8
Great news, horror fans.
Starting Monday, June 8, you can catch the runaway indie hit Obsession at SM Cinemas and Gateway Complex.
The cult favorite was originally an Ayala Exclusive and premiered in the Philippines on May 27.
With initial undertones of a romance, Obsession quickly enters the psychological horror sphere as it focuses on the extreme effects of possessive love. Bear, played by Michael Johnston, can't get over how his crush, Nikki, portrayed by Inde Navarrette, isn't reciprocating his unspoken feelings.
He discovers a new age shop where he buys an item, aptly named One Wish Willow, that's supposed to grant him his heart's desire. The story descends into chaos once Bear decides to make Nikki the subject of his wish.
Story aside, the film's success has become an urban legend due to its humble beginnings. Twenty-six-year-old YouTuber-turned-indie director Curry Barker created Obsession on a $750,000 (P46 million) budget, and shot it in only 20 days, per NBC News.
After it made the rounds of cult festivals, it was picked up by Focus Features and distributed worldwide. The film has since become the distributor's highest-grossing film ever, breaching $224.7 million (around P13.8 billion) in ticket sales globally, according to Deadline.
On the review platform Rotten Tomatoes, Obsession has received a 95% score from critics and 94% from audiences.
Barker claimed in a press interview, cited by NBC News, that he had no clue that his directorial debut would become this big.
"As the leader of the ship, I had to tell the people, 'This is going to be huge. You guys have to give this a year because it's going to be something special.' But that's just because that's my job, to champion the movie. Really, I had no idea...It was insane when we even just got into TIFF," Barker said, referring to the Toronto International Film Festival, where his film made its world premiere.
Written and directed by Barker, Obsession is rated R-16 by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board, meaning it can be watched by individuals at least 16 years old. According to MTRCB, a film with an R-16 rating may depict strong language, nudity, sex, violence, horror, and drugs. Obsession contains most of the above.
