LESIONS (horror/sci-fi/thriller) ๐ฟ ๐ฅ 2026 // 2 Feature Scripts + 1 Pilot + Season 1&2 Outline, COMPLETED, *with Pitch Video - ALL in SAME Cinematic Universe.
I have enjoyed reading every tweet regarding the discourse over the #obsession Art Director payment situation/complaint because itโs forcing discussion around some harsh truths about the industry and the implications of โJust grab some friends and go make your movie!โ
Small movies that make a lot of money is NOT a new phenomenon. Before Obsession there were countless no budget horror films that hit the jackpot, from Blair Witch, Paranormal Activity, Saw, to Halloween. I salute and envy all of them, but everyone's kidding themselves if they think that's a business model.
First, for every Obsession there are literally thousands of low budget horror films in any given year, let alone indie flicks. 16,000 films were submitted to Sundance this year. 100 got selected and shown. About 15 got notable distribution. That's worse odds than any highschooler trying to be an All Star NBA player.
Second, while $100 million sounds great, Hollywood is not in the millions business. They are in the billions business. It's the $3 billion of Avengers tickets that pay for the parking structures at Disney, and Marvel at California Adventure that keeps the stock from crashing. The Obsession branded dildo only pays 5 seconds of fuel on Jon Favereau's Disney Jet.
Third, I'm directly addressing Gen Z now: A24 is not a new idea. Before them there was this company called "Miramax." They dominated the indie space and controlled the Oscars. They were a breeding ground for cool independent filmmakers like Tarantino, and also kind of a proto-Raya for its producer Harvey Weinstein.
The point is no, we are not going to see $1 million movies as the new model. This is no change in the system. This is the system. The film market has iterated many models from high to low, but it always comes down to this: there is limited cultural time the audience will give you, and the job of Hollywood is to dominate all of it. The occasional indie bleed offs seem like insane numbers, but they are crumbs to the empire, and the empire likes to lick the plate. Everyone knows they'll buy A24 eventually, especially A24.
My suggestion is don't follow the trends. By the time the trend is there, it's already going to be monetized by the professionals in executive suites. They're way ahead of you making psychological thrillers like Obsession but with sharks. They didn't get their business degrees from Harvard for no reason.
Instead, just do you. At the end of the day you're choosing the path of an artist, and while money is important, you're supposed to make it with something you want to say, not what others want you to say. Your individual life experience is valuable. Follow your own beat. It's a crap shoot, you might as well just be you.
Or there's always Onlyfans.