YouTube Directors Dominate Box Office with 'Backrooms' and 'Obsession'
This weekend’s two biggest movies were both directed by YouTubers
Image: Tech Crunch
This weekend, two horror films directed by YouTubers topped the box office. 'Backrooms' earned approximately $38 million on Friday, with total weekend projections of $80-$90 million, while 'Obsession' grossed $28.5 million, marking an unprecedented growth in its second and third weekends.
- 01'Backrooms' made $38 million on its opening day and is projected to earn $80-$90 million over the weekend.
- 02'Obsession' is experiencing unusual growth, with a projected $28.5 million weekend haul, marking it as the first film since 1982 to increase earnings in both its second and third weekends.
- 03Both films are directed by YouTubers, with Kane Parsons and Curry Barker leading the projects.
- 04A24's 'Backrooms' sets a new record for the studio, surpassing the previous opening weekend record of $25.7 million set by 'Civil War.'
- 05Mark Fischbach's 'Iron Lung' also contributed to the YouTube-to-film trend earlier this year, grossing nearly $41 million.
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'Backrooms' and 'Obsession', both directed by YouTube creators, have made waves at the box office this weekend. 'Backrooms', directed by Kane Parsons, took the number one spot, earning approximately $38 million on Friday and projected to reach $80-$90 million by the end of the weekend. This marks a significant achievement for indie studio A24, surpassing their previous record of $25.7 million with 'Civil War'. Meanwhile, 'Obsession', directed by Curry Barker, is set to earn around $28.5 million this weekend, showcasing an impressive growth trend by increasing its earnings in both its second and third weekends. This is a rare feat in the industry, with 'Obsession' becoming the first film to achieve this since 1982. The success of these films highlights a growing trend of YouTubers transitioning into mainstream filmmaking, as seen with Mark Fischbach's earlier release, 'Iron Lung', which grossed nearly $41 million. The success of these directors, despite their youth, is attributed to their established online audiences.
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The success of these films may encourage more YouTubers to pursue filmmaking, potentially changing the landscape of the horror genre.
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