Two YouTube Horror Directors Conquer the Box Office
Kane Parsons (20) and Curry Barker (26) have shattered Hollywood expectations, proving that online audiences can translate into massive theatrical success.
Box Office Performance
Backrooms
Directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons and distributed by A24, Backrooms earned an estimated $81.4 million to $81.5 million domestically in its opening weekend across 3,442 locations in the U.S. and Canada. The film added $36 million overseas, pushing its global opening weekend total to approximately $118 million to $120 million.
This opening represents A24's largest in the company's 14-year history, surpassing the $25.7 million opening of Civil War.
88% of attendees were under 35, 66% under 25, and 44% under 21. The film was produced for approximately $10 million.
According to A24, Parsons is the youngest filmmaker in Hollywood history to have a film finish No. 1 at the weekend box office.
Obsession
Directed by 26-year-old Curry Barker and distributed by Focus Features (via Universal Pictures), Obsession earned $17.1 million to $17.2 million in its opening weekend from 2,615 theaters.
In its second weekend, the film earned $23.9 million—a 39% increase. In its third weekend, it earned $26.4 million, a 10% increase from its second weekend.
This second-weekend increase is "virtually unprecedented" for a film in more than 2,500 theaters outside the Christmas holiday period, according to Comscore's Paul Dergarabedian. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed it is the first film since 1982 to increase earnings in both its second and third weekends.
As of its third weekend, Obsession had earned $104.7 million domestically and $148 million globally. This domestic total surpasses Downton Abbey ($97 million) to become Focus Features' highest-grossing domestic release.
The film was produced for approximately $750,000.
Audience demographics showed 75% of audiences between ages 18 and 34, dominated by Gen Z and younger Millennials. Focus Features reported a skew towards male viewers but increasing female attendance.
Comparative Performance
Backrooms slightly underperformed the $81.8 million opening of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu the prior weekend. Obsession placed second at the box office in its third weekend, outperforming The Mandalorian and Grogu, which fell to third place with $25 million in its second weekend—a 69% decline from its opening.
The $165 million-budgeted Mandalorian and Grogu, with a $100 million marketing spend, holds a cumulative worldwide total of $246.6 million.
The films debuted ahead of The Breadwinner (a family comedy starring Nate Bargatze) and Pressure (a WWII drama starring Brendan Fraser).
Background on the Films
Backrooms
Based on a 4chan thread, Backrooms features found footage of an endless office space. The film is directed by Kane Parsons, who built an audience on YouTube with videos exploring the "backrooms" concept.
Obsession
A supernatural horror film, Obsession follows Bear (Michael Johnston), who uses a magical willow to wish that his coworker Nikki (Inde Navarrette) loves him more than anyone else. The wish causes an entity to possess Nikki, making her obsessive and violent.
The MPAA initially gave the film an NC-17 rating. Barker edited a scene, including a longer kill sequence and post-mortem sounds, to achieve an R rating.
No AI or CGI were used for the performance. The film was shot in 26 days.
Distribution and Production History
Obsession premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2024, when Barker was 25 years old. Focus Features acquired distribution rights for approximately $15 million, competing against A24 and Neon.
James Harris of Tea Shop Productions discovered Barker through his YouTube short film The Chair.
Both Backrooms and Obsession were produced by Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, a studio known for low-budget horror films targeting younger audiences.
Director Backgrounds
Kane Parsons
A 20-year-old filmmaker who began his career on YouTube. He is the youngest filmmaker in Hollywood history to have a film finish No. 1 at the weekend box office, according to A24.
Curry Barker
A 26-year-old filmmaker who moved from Alabama to Los Angeles for film school. There, he met Cooper Tomlinson, and they dropped out to build a sketch channel called That's a Bad Idea. His 2023 short film The Chair attracted producer James Harris.
Barker edits his films in his bedroom and describes his creative process as being "single-mindedly obsessed with one project at a time."
Barker acknowledged a plot hole in Obsession regarding the One Wish Willow, stating in an interview with Total Film that "it does not make sense for there to be a world where people are making wishes without visible consequences." He proposed a possible explanation involving alternate realities but conceded it is flawed.
Future Projects
Curry Barker
Barker has completed shooting his second film, Anything But Ghosts, a horror-comedy starring Aaron Paul and Bryce Dallas Howard. The film was co-written with Cooper Tomlinson and is slated for release by Focus Features in partnership with Blumhouse-Atomic Monster and Spooky Pictures.
Barker has closed a deal to write, direct, and produce a new take on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for A24. He stated his intention for the project to feel like an original film rather than just an IP extension.
Barker expressed interest in a sequel or an anthology series focused on different wishes going wrong, which could allow other filmmakers to contribute their own stories. He is also considering launching a horror banner.
Kane Parsons
No future projects were reported in the provided sources.
Industry Reactions
"This weekend is both staggering and validation of our business."
— Abhijay Prakash, president of Blumhouse-Atomic Monster
The company noted its strategy of scouting talent on YouTube.
"These two films provide a glimmer of hope for the movie business."
— Mark Duplass, actor in Backrooms
Screenwriter Zack Stentz wrote on X that this moment is comparable to the MTV directors of the 1980s and Sundance filmmakers of the 1990s.
Steven Zeitchik of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the YouTuber hits signal a potential shift in the studio system, driven by creators and the YouTube platform.
"Filmmakers like Parsons are in a dialogue with their audience from the word 'go'... by the time the movie is released, they have had a billion test screenings."
— Warner Bros. Motion Pictures co-chair Michael De Luca
One unnamed studio head stated: "The moment is here. YouTube is blessing these filmmakers and we are struggling to catch up. Right now, it's about us not being second to the party."
Mark DelVecchio of Rutgers Cinema noted that what sets these creators apart is their longevity and loyal audiences from years of content creation.
Jason Blum described Barker as "calm, grateful, and clear about his next steps" when they met after the TIFF screening.
"For a long time, there was a feeling that we were operating without anyone's knowledge. That's probably changed now."
— Anonymous industry figure
Additional Context
The success of Backrooms and Obsession follows the performance of Iron Lung, directed by YouTuber Mark Fischbach (Markiplier), which earned nearly $41 million domestically on a $3 million budget.
Obsession holds a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics.
One studio attempted to make a preemptive offer of $10 million for Barker's next original project, but retracted after learning that Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, via Universal Pictures' Focus Features, holds a first-look agreement with Barker. Another studio was also preparing to make an offer.
Focus Features produced replicas of the film's central prop, the "One Wish Willow," for merchandise. Obsession was the only Focus title to increase its theater count in its third weekend, adding 100 theaters for the May 29-31 weekend, bringing the total to 2,755. The film's planned PVOD release was postponed; it continued its theatrical run.
Some media have compared the second-weekend spike to Sound of Freedom (2023), which saw a 38.6% increase, though that film added 413 theaters in its second weekend and utilized a "pay it forward" ticket model.
The industry perceives the success of these two low-budget horror films as a potential indicator of openness to new intellectual property and cost-effective production and marketing strategies.