Obsession made for $750K, grossed $16M opening weekend
Director Cory Barker's horror film Obsession was made for $750,000 and earned $16 million in its opening weekend.
Snapshot · 2 Bears, 1 Cave with Tom Segura & Bert Kreischer
Patrice O’Neal Destroyed Me | 2 Bears, 1 Cave
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Jun 15, 2026
Where this was said
Curry Barker's Obsession & Horror vs. Comedy Movies
At 1:09:42 · chapter starts 1:09:22
Bert is a fan of director Cory Barker from his comedy sketch work online, and now Barker has made a hit horror film. The numbers are stark: $750,000 to make, $16 million opening weekend. [1] — Bert Kreischer "Director Cory Barker made the horror film Obsession for $750,000 and it opened to $16 million. That ratio is almost impossible in comedy. T…" 1:09:30 Bert asks Tom point-blank — $1 million of your own money: comedy or horror? Tom says horror without hesitation, for two reasons. First, the genre has had a sustained audience surge over the past decade-plus. Second — and more importantly — horror is the only genre where you don't need any recognizable talent attached to get audiences into seats. The story sells itself. That never happens with comedy. Bert agrees he's sold horror pitches faster and easier than any comedy. They also preview Barker's upcoming project, a film about fake ghost hunters who encounter a real ghost — which Bert calls Ghostbusters as a horror movie, which is more or less exactly what it is. The A-Rod documentary is teed up for a future episode.
Obsession: $750K Movie, $16M Opening Weekend
Director Cory Barker made the horror film Obsession for $750,000 and it opened to $16 million. That ratio is almost impossible in comedy. Tom and Bert argue horror wins because it's the only genre where you don't need a single recognizable name to break through — the story alone can sell the seats.
Horror outsells comedy without name talent
Tom Segura argued that horror films can become hits without a recognizable star attached, which almost never happens with other genres including comedy.
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