‘Obsession’ Star Inde Navarrette on Gen Z and Product Placement

By Tom Whitfield

‘Obsession’ grossed $522 million worldwide on a production budget of less than $1 million, according to Variety. The Focus Features horror film dominated the box office this summer.

Variety described it as one of the most profitable films in Hollywood history. That ranking needs a qualifier. The report gives no profit calculation, marketing costs or comparison set, and it omits weekend-by-weekend grosses even though the film kept earning more for four consecutive weekends. Variety linked the pattern to Gen Z word of mouth.

The film also turned Navarrette and her co-star Michael Johnston into overnight sensations, according to Variety.

On the wider audience question, Variety reported on a Fandango study earlier this year. Its attendance findings were:

• 87% of Gen Z and 82% of millennials saw at least one movie theatrically over the course of a year.
• 70% of Gen X and 58% of baby boomers did the same.

In an appearance on “The Kyle Buchanan Show,” Navarrette advised Hollywood on keeping Gen Z audiences interested in movie theaters. Her argument covered more than original storytelling. She said filmmakers must also assure young moviegoers they will not be force-fed corporate promotion on the big screen.

Navarrette said:

“Gen Z just wants to go to something that they don’t feel like they’re being sold. Maybe we are tired constantly of having ads in movies or production placement and all of these things. We understand it’s fundamental.

We grew up with commercials that are fun that we still quote like State Farm and Aflac. It’s kind of fun. But we don’t want to be sold. We want original stories.”

“Just because we’re living in the time of technology doesn’t mean we’re not living a human life or feel human experiences. I’m happy ‘Obsession’ brought that to the table. We want originality and we want to feel.”

Her target is not advertising in general: she described commercials for State Farm and Aflac as fun and still quotable.

Variety’s report does not test whether product placement affects ticket sales or attendance, and it gives no comparison between ‘Obsession’ and other releases.

The Fandango study also measures repeat visits and spending. It found:

• Gen Z and millennials averaged about seven theater visits per year, ahead of Gen X at 6.1 and baby boomers at 5.7.
• Gen Z spent more per visit on concessions and on premium-format screens such as Imax.

Variety described Gen Z as the most active moviegoing demographic. The study excerpt gives no dollar amounts for that spending difference.

Fandango executive VP Jerramy Hainline said at the time:

“While there has been a perception that Gen Z is less engaged with theatrical moviegoing, our data shows that their momentum has been building.

What’s especially notable is how strongly they value the shared, communal aspect of the experience, reinforcing that theaters continue to play an important role as a social destination for younger audiences.”

His emphasis was on the shared setting, not just the film. The figures support repeated attendance and higher spending among Gen Z, but no theater counts, ticket prices or regional breakdown appear in the report.

What does this change for movie theaters?

For exhibitors, Gen Z attendance is a growth case rather than a lost cause. The Fandango figures show frequent returns and above-average spending, and Navarrette identifies the condition for keeping that audience: a film that does not feel like a sales pitch.

‘Obsession’ supplies the scale for that proposition. Fewer than $1 million of production spending accompanied a $522 million global gross, and revenue rose over four consecutive weekends.

That does not establish that avoiding product placement caused the result. Variety supplies no marketing-spending or release-spending figures, so the film shows a commercial result without establishing a causal rule.

Studios will have a clearer test with the next low-budget release and its weekend grosses. If other films repeat the pattern without leaning on product placement, the case for original storytelling will rest on evidence rather than anecdotes.

Gen Z still buys tickets; the harder task is keeping the next screening from feeling like a sales pitch.