It’s really hard to predict if the small-budget film you’re working on will become a huge hit. But when it does, your first instinct is probably to sit back and do the math afterwards. Sally Choi knows that feeling all too well. The Art Director on 2026’s breakout horror hit Obsession (the Focus Features horror about the dangers of romantic fixation that has now crossed $152 million at the North American box office and is closing in on $225 million globally) has shared her complicated feelings about her pay on Instagram this week. And it’s already going viral.
Choi pointed out that even though Obsession, which was made for just $750,000 (which is a tiny amount), is now a global sensation, she didn’t get paid well considering the film’s success. Choi’s rate as art director was just $300 per day, which comes to around $6,741.36 after taxes for the entire shoot, where she wore multiple hats throughout the production.
“Though my official title is art director, I was also a PA, set dresser, graphic designer, background actor, driver, swing, and buyer,” she wrote on Instagram. “I was doing runs for the art dept (again, no mileage). I was shopping, loading, returning while the rest of the crew were on set.” She also noted that some crew on the production were volunteers, paid only in gas and mileage reimbursements.
“I kick myself every single day for not flipping this production,” Choi added. “I was encouraged not to and I naively listened.”
But, in all honesty, there are plenty of filmmakers who have been in the exact same shoes as Choi, including myself.
I’ve worked on countless low-budget productions where the budgets were the kind that make most producers wince. And when you’re in that position, as a director, you call in every favour you have. Your crew wears several hats and eats whatever catering is cheapest that week (pizza, pizza and pizza). On one of my sets, I handed my shoes to an actor for a wardrobe moment and worked barefoot for the rest of the day. Nobody batted an eye, because when you’re shooting low-budget, the film comes first, and everyone on set understands that going in.
Choi actually acknowledges this herself. “I did know the rate beforehand and agreed to it,” she wrote, “but atp I was living paycheck to paycheck.”
That’s a very honest thing to admit. It also points to the real issue here, which isn’t really about Obsession or its director or even the box office success, but about the underpayment of below-the-line crew on productions like this.
The catch, of course, is that nobody ever expects them to blow up. I mean, that’s the whole reason the budget was $750K in the first place. If anyone knew Obsession would generate a quarter of a billion dollars at the box office, the rates would have looked very different for everyone involved. The fact that the small gamble paid off spectacularly doesn’t automatically rewrite what everyone agreed to before the cameras started rolling.
The other thing worth saying, even if it’s not what Choi or anyone who worked on the set of Obsession probably wants to hear right now, is that having a major hit filmon your CV is probably a career-defining credential. Doors will open. The rate was low, and sure, the conditions were rough, but that credit is going to help your career. And you’ll be able to negotiate a much better deal moving forward. That’s how the business works. And, yes, it’s called the “movie business” for a reason.
And that’s the deal with independent film. It’s not exactly fair, right? But it’s also not hidden.
Choi is getting a lot of heat on Instagram after sharing her experience. It’s a difficult situation to be in, but hopefully her career pushes forward from here.
RELATED: Obsession’s Ending Is Cruel Enough. What Happens To Nikki After The Credits Is Worse
