Art Director Speaks Out After Earning Less Than $7,000 on ‘Obsession’ as Film Hits $175M
As the horror hit “Obsession” continues its impressive run at the global box office, one crew member is speaking out about the realities many film workers face behind the scenes.
According to a recent Instagram post from art director Sally Choi, she earned less than $7,000 after taxes for her work on the independent horror film, which is now approaching $175 million worldwide and is projected by some estimates to reach as high as $250 million.
Choi shared her experience publicly after keeping her frustrations private for nearly two years. In her post, she explained that she worked as the film’s art director for a daily rate of $300. While she acknowledged that she agreed to the rate before production began, she said the situation highlights a much larger issue within the film industry.
“I’ve debated this for a long time,” Choi wrote. “I’ve been holding a lot of weight over the past two years since the production of ‘Obsession,’ so I’m going to say it as it is.”
She revealed that her total earnings from the project came to $6,741.36 after taxes and that she was not reimbursed for mileage. Choi also stressed that she was living paycheck to paycheck at the time and accepted the job knowing it was a low-budget independent production.
Still, she believes the success of the movie has exposed how many crew members are treated during the filmmaking process.
“This is the reality of most filmmakers, especially those who work below the line,” she wrote. “We become a line in the budget sheet to keep as low as possible.”
According to Choi, several people who worked on the production were volunteers and were promised compensation for gas and mileage. She claimed some crew members even had to cover expenses out of their own pockets while working on the film.
“This wasn’t even paid on time, so to make a $250M grossing film, some of these amazing people had to come out of pocket to work on set,” she said.
Choi also expressed regret about not raising concerns during production. “I kick myself every single day for not flipping this production. I was encouraged not to and I naively listened,” she wrote.
The comments quickly sparked debate across social media. Many film workers shared similar stories about low pay and difficult working conditions on independent productions.
Film director Joseph Kahn weighed in on X, noting that many people outside the industry do not understand how unstable film work can be. “One thing people don’t understand about the film business is it’s feast or famine,” he wrote.
Others were less sympathetic, arguing that Choi had agreed to the pay rate and was risking professional relationships by criticizing the production publicly.
At the same time, many users argued that crew members should receive some kind of bonus when a low-budget project becomes a major financial success. One viral comment suggested that everyone who worked on “Obsession” deserved additional compensation given how dramatically the film exceeded expectations.
“Obsession” was originally produced independently on a budget of just $750,000 before being acquired by Focus Features for $15 million. As the film’s success continues to grow, Choi’s comments have reignited a larger conversation about pay, profit-sharing, and how the people behind the camera are compensated when small films become blockbuster hits.
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