'Backrooms', Based on YouTube Horror Series, Breaks Box Office Records
Kane Parsons’ debut drew $81.5 million domestically, while Obsession added $26.4 million and beat major franchise releases, studio estimates showed.
- On Sunday, A24's Backrooms, directed by 20-year-old YouTuber Kane Parsons, topped the North American box office with $81.5 million, setting a record for the independent distributor and making Parsons the youngest filmmaker in Hollywood history to achieve a No. 1 opening.
- This success reflects a broader shift as studios increasingly recruit YouTube creators to direct low-budget films, mobilizing Gen Z audiences who rarely visit theaters; nearly 85% of viewers were under age 35, according to PostTrak data.
- Focus Features' Obsession secured second place with $26.4 million in its third weekend, up 10% from the previous week, while Disney's The Mandalorian and Grogu fell to third place with $25 million.
- Warner Bros. Motion Pictures co-chair Michael De Luca said filmmakers like Parsons "are in a dialogue with their audience from the word go," noting they receive "a billion test screenings" via subscribers before theatrical release.
- Experts predict Hollywood studios will increasingly copy this moviemaking model by scouring online video sites for emerging auteurs, prioritizing original concepts over the predictable franchises that previously dominated the box office.
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‘Backrooms’ Shatters Box Office Records With USD 81M Debut, ‘Obsession’ Soars, ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Drops 70% | 🎥 LatestLY
In a historic shift at the global box office, 'Backrooms' secured the top spot worldwide and 'Obsession' defied traditional theatrical depreciation with rare week-over-weekend gains, Disney’s big-budget sci-fi tentpole The Mandalorian and Grogu' suffered a steep decline in numbers. 🎥 ‘Backrooms’ Shatters Box Office Records With USD 81M Debut, ‘Obsession’ Soars, ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Drops 70%.
By Brian Stelter, CNN The two biggest films in the United States at the moment, “Backrooms” and “Obsession”, come from 20-year-old filmmakers who perfected their profession on YouTube. Their films were made with relatively low budgets and were promoted online. Now that they are filling the cinemas with teenagers and young adults who rarely go to movies, all Hollywood is paying attention, and experts predict that the studios will copy this model …
MyCentralOregon.com
Horror makes a killing: 'Backrooms' and 'Obsession' take #1 and #2 at box office
Chiwetel Ejiofor in ‘Backrooms.’ (Courtesy of A24) The horror genre scared up big numbers at the box office this weekend. A24’s Backrooms, directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons, took the #1 spot with $81.5 million. In addition to beating box office expectations, the film broke all kinds of records. According to Variety, Backrooms had the biggest debut in history for an original horror film, as well as the biggest debut for a first-time filmmaker …
The North American box office has a new champion, the film that marks Kane Parsons' directorial debut at the age of 20 years getting receipts over any expectations of analysts, setting more records and even impressing critics, reports Variety. Produced by the esteemed independent studio A24, the horror film "Backrooms has cashed in America for ...
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