Independent horror movies directed by young YouTube content creators have captured the top slots at the global box office, drawing unprecedented numbers of Generation Z moviegoers to theaters and upending traditional studio franchise dominance.
The horror film Backrooms, directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons and produced by A24, opened at No. 1 last weekend, generating over $5 million in Canada and $118 million globally.
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Within five days, it became A24's highest-grossing North American release ever.
Securing second place, the psychological horror film Obsession by 26-year-old director Curry Barker has earned $150 million globally since debuting just over two weeks ago.
Industry analysts suggest the heavy youth turnout following these online creators could reshape future Hollywood project approvals.
Fresh Talent and Unconventional Projects
Aaron Couch, film editor at The Hollywood Reporter, noted that the directors' YouTube backgrounds drove their massive commercial success.
"May at the box office was the most exciting time for moviegoers since Barbenheimer, but it feels like a breath of fresh air," he said.
Couch emphasized the industry is seeing a significant entry of fresh talent and unconventional projects making a mainstream impact.
"You have new talents, you have a movie that had no-name actors, you had a 20-year-old bringing his strange corner of the internet to the masses," he added.
Obsession broke typical theatrical patterns by increasing ticket sales during its second and third weekends, a feat not seen since the 1982 release of E.
T.
"Obsession is the first movie since Steven Spielberg's ET in 1982 where it's gone up in the second weekend, gone up in the third weekend.
That doesn't happen," Couch said.
Digital Platforms as a Pipeline
Backrooms originated as a viral 22-video found-footage series on YouTube, amassing over 25 million views.
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Parsons, who began animating 3D short films on YouTube as a child, secured his feature debut with A24 after his short film about a creepy online image attracted studio attention.
Vancouver-based producer Chris Ferguson stated the production team maintained total fidelity to the original digital material to ensure the online fan base transitioned to cinemas.
"We were always being true to the series," he said.
Ferguson explained that the success demonstrates legacy studios must respect the audience's intelligence. "I think the lesson is to stop underestimating the audience," he said.
He added that digital platforms now serve as the primary pipeline for elite video content producers.
Variety chief correspondent Marlow Stern noted the horror genre is uniquely suited for cinematic innovation due to low financial barriers.
He cited low-budget touchstones like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Paranormal Activity, which grossed nearly $180 million against a $15,000 budget under producer Jason Blum, who also produced Obsession.
Stern stated modern studios cannot afford to overlook these emerging pipelines with loyal consumer bases.
"YouTubers have a hold on their audience," he said, adding that digital creators benefit from consistent, long-term direct engagement.
Both films achieved high profitability by avoiding bloated budgets: Obsession was filmed for $750,000 and Backrooms for $10 million.
In contrast, the major studio release Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu grossed just $81 million against an estimated $165 million budget while suffering continuous declines.
Exit polling data from The Associated Press revealed that 86 percent of Backrooms audiences were under 35, with over half aged 25 or younger and 44 percent under 21.
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For Obsession, 75 percent of ticket buyers were between 18 and 25.
