LOS ANGELES — This year, “Obsession” became one of the biggest blockbusters at the box office. Made on a reported $700,000 to $1 million budget, the film crossed over half a billion dollars and became a cultural phenomenon.
“Obsession” wasn’t just a hit with moviegoers; it also became one of the biggest hits for the studio Focus Features.
For Cooper Tomlinson, who plays Ian in the film, “Obsession’s” success hit him week two or three of box office reports.
“It’s like, what’s going on? This is crazy,” he recalled in an interview with Spectrum News. “Thanks to all the people that went out to see it. I mean, I know people who have seen it 10 times. You know? Thanks!”
Tomlinson said one of the craziest theories to come from fans about the film is that Bear’s cat is the one that gets put into Nikki’s body when he makes the wish.
“There’s a lot of weird seeds that are planted around the movie that make it seem that way,” he said.
But what about Ian’s wish for $1 billion?
“Some people ask, ‘Why did you do that?’ He didn’t know it was real. I think anybody, you know, in that situation, what would you wish for? Yeah, you wish for a billion dollars,” he said with a laugh.
One thing that may not be a laughing matter is how the conversation in Hollywood is changing following the success of “Obsession.”
“I hope filmmakers can look at this as a way to realize you don’t need a lot. You know, $750,000 is still a lot money, but Curry and I worked really hard.. with milk and cereal, we made [the film] for nothing. I hope it encourages people to get up just write your thing, whether it’s a short, a sketch, a 60-second little video or a found footage feature, make it. It’ll go somewhere,” he said.
Curry and Tomlinson’s relationship goes back years, to when the two moved to LA with just a dream and found each other. It would be eight years before the two worked on “Obsession.”
“It’s cool to have a movie be so successful, but to be able to do it with your friend, it’s probably the best part,” he said.
So what happens after the success of “Obsession”? Will there be a sequel? Tomlinson told Spectrum News that while Curry has thrown around the idea of such, what he would like would be an anthology series that follows different wishes.
“I’d love to see an alternative reality episode to see what Ian does with the billion dollars,” he said. “I have a lot of ideas on that myself, but we will see.”
“Obsession” was such a hit, thanks to its director, Curry Barker, and a stellar cast, including Michael Johnston, Indy Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson and Megan Lawless, that it’s now setting its eyes on awards.
Focus Features will now push the film in several categories this awards season including, Best Picture, Best Director (Curry Baker), Best Actress (Inde Navarrette), Best Actor (Michael Johnston), Supporting Actress (Megan Lawless), Best Supporting Actor (Cooper Tomlinson and Andy Ritcher), Best Casting/Ensemble, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Hair and Makeup, Best Production Design, Best Score, Best Stunt Design, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound.
“I hope everybody takes a close at who worked on this movie,” Tomlinson said. “The crew, production, design, costume, cinematography … everyone worked 110%. They love movies; they love making movies. Look at the crew list and check them out. They are a huge reason why this movie got made.”
“Obsession” is now streaming on Peacock.
Click the video above to watch the full interview.
Source: spectrumlocalnews.com
