Three YouTube directors have collectively pulled in roughly $184 million at the box office in the span of just a few months. That run, built by filmmakers whose primary audiences live on a platform Hollywood once dismissed, is forcing a serious reassessment of where the industry finds its next generation of directing talent.
This weekend, Backrooms, a horror film based on the internet meme directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons, is projected to open to $60 million, potentially topping Disney’s Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Parsons built his reputation through years of short-form work on YouTube before A24 gave him his theatrical debut. That followed Curry Barker’s Obsession, a Blumhouse production from the 26-year-old YouTube veteran that grossed $74 million in its first two weeks.
Both films benefited from pre-existing fanbases online, but they succeeded through the Hollywood system, not around it.
Earlier this year, Mark Fischbach, known to his 38 million YouTube subscribers as Markiplier, released Iron Lung, a film he self-financed for a reported $3 million and distributed with direct help from his fanbase. It has since grossed $50 million.
Parsons’s and Barker’s movies exemplify a shift to the studios recognising YouTube artists and supporting them with their resources. Iron Lung was a gamble taken by the creators. Backrooms and Obsession show Hollywood taking interest in talents found on YouTube.
The trend, however, is nothing new, as Hollywood has long known how to spot talent online. Justin Bieber was discovered on YouTube; Issa Rae rose through YouTube stardom, while director Dan Trachtenberg introduced himself to Hollywood by making a seven-minute short based on the Portal video game in 2011. The difference now lies in the accelerated pace of the process.
Once a filmmaker makes numerous short videos on YouTube for several years, he walks into the studio presentation with a defined visual style, the ability to retain the attention of the viewership, and a fanbase that can be ready for more.
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