Internet culture is showing up in a big way in theaters, as low-budget horror films “Backrooms” and “Obsession” led this past weekend’s box office and beat out big franchise films like “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.”
A24’s “Backrooms” topped the charts with $81.5 million in the U.S. and Canada in its opening weekend, according to studio estimates. It is now A24’s highest opening weekend ever, besting 2024’s “Civil War, “ which previously held the record with a $25.5-million debut, the studio said. The film is directed by 20-year-old YouTuber Kane Parsons, who based it on his internet series of the same name.
“Backrooms,” which had a production budget of about $10 million, stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as a furniture store owner who finds a mysterious portal in his basement. The film has made a total of $118 million worldwide.
In second place was Focus Features’ “Obsession,” which hauled in $26.4 million in its third weekend in theaters, up 10% from the previous weekend’s total. The film, which had a production budget of less than $1 million, has now grossed $104.7 million domestically for a global total of $148 million.
“Obsession” director Curry Barker is also known for his YouTube sketch comedy channel.
The success of two YouTube-native filmmakers at the box office reflects the growing power of the platform — and online culture as a whole — in attracting audiences to cinemas. Earlier this year, YouTuber Markiplier directed and produced indie horror film “Iron Lung,” which opened to $17.8 million in late January and ended up grossing $50 million worldwide on a reported budget of $3 million.
The one-two punch of “Backrooms” and “Obsession” at the box office this past weekend is “a great indication of where the Gen Z audience is at,” said Daniel Loria, editorial director at the Box Office Co.
While many studios have established a game plan around known franchises, the box office strength of these two films indicates audiences are looking for fresh voices and original stories — and that many of those are coming from YouTube and other online platforms where young people spend their time.
“An [intellectual property]-only game plan isn’t enough,” he said. “I do think these Gen Z first-time directors, these YouTube-inspired films, they have great potential to complement an IP strategy.”
Another big test of YouTube-native storylines will come next weekend when the final two episodes of online series “The Amazing Digital Circus” will be distributed by Fathom Entertainment in theaters.
Walt Disney Co. and Lucasfilm’s “The Mandalorian and Grogu” fell to third place this weekend with a domestic gross of $25 million — a drop of 69% compared to the previous weekend. Lionsgate’s musical biopic “Michael” ($11.7 million) and Sony Pictures’ family comedy “The Breadwinner” ($7.5 million) rounded out the top five at the box office, according to Comscore data.
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