Could Obsession become one of the biggest Oscar stories of the upcoming awards season? Focus Features appears to believe so, with the studio mounting an ambitious Academy Awards campaign for Curry Barker’s breakout horror-romance, including a Best Actress push for Inde Navarrette. The 2026 low-budget horror hit also stars Michael Johnston in the lead role.
As per a report by Variety, is set to campaign in the Best Actress category for her performance in , which has emerged as a remarkable box office success despite its modest production budget. The film has reportedly grossed more than $505.6 million worldwide against a budget of just $750,000, making its theatrical run one of the year’s most unexpected success stories.
Inde Navarrette is set to campaign in the Best Actress category for her performance in Obsession
Focus Features is not limiting its Oscar ambitions to Navarrette. The distributor plans to submit Obsession across almost every major category for which it is eligible, signaling a full-scale awards push for the film and its creative team.
is at the centre of that campaign, with Focus putting his name forward for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Film Editing. The combination is particularly notable because it echoes the awards-season trajectory of Sean Baker, who swept those three categories for Anora, his eventual Best Picture winner.
Alongside Navarrette, Obsession will also campaign Michael Johnston for Best Actor, while Cooper Tomlinson and Andy Richter will be submitted in Best Supporting Actor. Megan Lawless will compete for Best Supporting Actress. The technical categories will also form a major part of the campaign. Focus plans to submit the film for Best Casting, Production Design, Cinematography, Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound and Original Score, in addition to Best Picture.
Alongside Navarrette, Obsession will also campaign Michael Johnston for Best Actor (Focus Features via AP)
The report added that one major awards-season decision, however, remains unresolved – where Obsession will compete at the Golden Globes. Focus Features and the filmmakers have yet to confirm whether the movie will be entered in the drama category or the musical or comedy race. According to Variety, horror films have previously benefited from competing in the Globes’ less conventional categories, most notably Jordan Peele’s Get Out. The 2017 horror hit competed as a musical or comedy and subsequently earned four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay, with Peele winning the screenplay prize.
Should Obsession follow the same path, the Get Out comparison could become an important part of its awards narrative.
With Navarrette positioned as the face of the campaign and Barker receiving a major triple-category push, Focus Features is clearly treating Obsession as more than a surprise box office hit.