{"id":5310,"date":"2026-06-16T16:09:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T15:09:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/filmshrine\/?p=5310"},"modified":"2026-06-16T16:09:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T15:09:36","slug":"curry-barker-breaks-silence-on-obsession-pay-debate-after-art-director-revealed-6k-earnings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/filmshrine\/2026\/06\/16\/curry-barker-breaks-silence-on-obsession-pay-debate-after-art-director-revealed-6k-earnings\/","title":{"rendered":"Curry Barker breaks silence on Obsession pay debate after art director revealed $6k earnings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Curry Barker has responded to the now-viral post from Obsession art director Sally Choi, who revealed she was paid $6,741<\/a> while calling for change within the industry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Obsession<\/a> fever shows no signs of slowing down – the horror movie has had an unprecedented run at the box office, with multiple cinema-goers watching it 10+ times, ramping up its global total to $287million at the time of writing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This becomes even more impressive when you find out it was made on a shoestring budget of just $750,000<\/a>. That said, most of the earnings will go to the production companies and distributors rather than the creatives who made it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s something Sally Choi spoke about in an Instagram post on June 4th, saying she earned $300 a day as art director on the film and had to wear \u201cmany, many hats\u201d due to the low-budget production, leading to health problems.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A post shared by \u00b0\u2022\u00b0sally\u2022\u00b0\u2022\u2661 (@kiwisupreez)<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

She noted that the issue was bigger than Curry and Obsession, and later doubled down in a follow-up post<\/a>, where she said she was speaking to a union. It\u2019s sparked a huge debate, with some arguing Sally blacklisted herself, while others have commended her<\/a> for speaking up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Addressing the viral Obsession pay debate<\/h2>\n

The Hollywood Reporter<\/span><\/a> took the opportunity to ask Curry about the matter, noting that while he\u2019s not the person who wrote the checks, does he have any feelings about it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have nothing but respect for the art department, and the work they did was extraordinary. Everybody on this film worked so hard and they deserve to be recognised,\u201d the filmmaker replied.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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A post shared by Obsession (@obsessionthemovie)<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThis movie was made for so little money that it\u2019s typical that the only people who [directly] benefit from its financial success are the people who took on some sort of risk.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Curry appears to be referring to the way profits are typically distributed on indie films<\/a> – investors, producers, or creatives with ownership stakes can benefit from a movie’s success, while crew members are paid a fixed rate regardless of how well the project performs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut what I hope is that every person that worked really hard on this film will see opportunities to catapult their careers in ways that can be very financially fruitful for them – like what\u2019s happening for me,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking of which, Curry also spoke about potential opportunities for the next Obsession through feature-length adaptations of his horror<\/a> shorts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Chair could definitely be a horror film. I think eventually it would be cool to bring a feature version of the haunted chair story to life,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n