Curry Barker's 'Anything But Ghosts' Dated for May 7, 2027

Focus Features will open "Anything But Ghosts," the next film from "Obsession" director Curry Barker, in theaters on May 7, 2027.

Barker and co-writer Cooper Tomlinson announced the date on social media, along with a reminder that tickets are not yet on sale. The pair also star in the film, leading a cast that includes Violet McGraw, Chris Reinacher, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Aaron Paul.

Barker directs from a script he wrote with Tomlinson. The two play members of a group of fame-seeking wannabe "ghosthunters" who find themselves in over their heads, with events spiraling wildly and terrifyingly out of control.

The project moves quickly on the momentum of "Obsession," which Barker premiered to a breakout reception at Toronto in 2025. Blumhouse Atomic Monster made a deal for "Anything But Ghosts" soon after, and Barker is delivering it to audiences while "Obsession" is still heating up ahead of awards season.

Roy Lee and Steven Schneider produce for Spooky Pictures, alongside Adam Hendricks and Greg Gilreath for Divide/Conquer and Jason Blum for Blumhouse. Barker, Tomlinson, Daniel Bekerman, and Image Nation's Ben Ross serve as executive producers.

"Obsession," together with "Backrooms," has been the industry story of the summer at the box office. The film surpassed $500 million globally on a production budget of just $750,000, and Focus acquired it for $15 million out of TIFF.

Barker built his career with videos and sketches on YouTube — the kind of background Hollywood has largely ignored. His success has the industry chasing the next Barker and the next internet IP that can surprise at the box office.

"Anything But Ghosts" currently opens the same weekend as Mel Gibson's "The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One" via Lionsgate, the follow-up to "The Passion of the Christ," the indie film that previously broke a string of box office records. "Obsession" proved a completely different type of story and movie, carving out a new theatrical audience.

Focus has more on its slate in the meantime. Robert Eggers' "Werwulf" opens this Christmas, followed by the Jane Austen adaptation "Sense and Sensibility" and the biopic drama "Elsinore" starring Andrew Scott. Next year brings "The Bell Jar" from director Sarah Polley, starring Billie Eilish.

The May 2027 date positions "Anything But Ghosts" as the second consecutive Curry Barker summer release, arriving less than two years after "Obsession" turned a $750,000 budget into a $500 million global phenomenon.