This weekend saw a surge in young audiences flocking to theaters, with a significant twist. It wasn’t the major ‘Star Wars’ film, ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu,’ that drew crowds, but rather a small-budget horror movie by a novice filmmaker. ‘Backrooms‘ captivated audiences nationwide. This film, launched by A24 in 3,442 theaters across the U.S. and Canada, earned a remarkable $81.5 million in its opening weekend, as per Sunday’s studio estimates. That’s nearly equal to what ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu‘ earned its first weekend. Directed by 20-year-old YouTube creator Kane Parsons, ‘Backrooms‘ was produced on a $10 million budget.
The film’s success didn’t impact ‘Obsession,’ another YouTuber-directed film by Curry Barker, aged 26. Three weekends in, ‘Obsession‘ has maintained its initial earnings and even saw a 10% rise, taking $26.4 million this weekend. It landed in second place, while the Star Wars film fell to third with $25 million.
The success stories of ‘Backrooms‘ and ‘Obsession‘ suggest that YouTube might revitalize interest in movie theaters. This weekend also marked the debut of ‘The Breadwinner‘ and ‘Pressure,’ but it was the films from young YouTubers that commanded attention. Blumhouse-Atomic Monster produced both ‘Backrooms‘ and ‘Obsession.’
Abhijay Prakash, president of Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, declared the weekend’s results both astonishing and a validation of their focus. Their emphasis on fresh horror content for younger audiences has grossed over $10 billion in box office. The studio actively seeks talent from YouTube, predicting a trend of similar films. They are encouraged that young online creators still value the cultural importance of theatrical film releases.
Inde Navarrette and Michael Johnston star in ‘Obsession,’ with Focus Features on board. Prakash stated, ‘It’s a great sign of relevance for us. With some distance, we’ll likely look back at this as a significant turning point.
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‘Backrooms‘ originated from a creepypasta urban legend. Parsons expanded it into a web series using Blender, catching the eye of production companies led by James Wan and Shawn Levy, which led to film development with stars like Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve. The film also exceeded expectations internationally, grossing $118 million. A24 confirmed Parsons as the youngest director to achieve a No. 1 film globally. It’s a record for the studio, topping their previous best, ‘Civil War,’ which opened to $25.5 million in 2024.
The R-rated film received positive attention from critics and attracted a youthful, diverse audience; exit polls showed 86% under age 35, with many attending in groups. Despite a B- CinemaScore from audiences, the film still creates buzz, with some theaters ensuring under-21 viewers are accompanied by adults. ‘Obsession‘ has earned $104.7 million in North America, marking Focus Features’ top domestic release.
Luis Olloqui, CEO of Cinépolis USA, said that ‘When we have the right content, people of all ages will come to the theater.
‘ His theaters saw numerous sell-outs for both films, demonstrating no direct competition between them.
The Mandalorian and Grogu‘ saw a significant drop of about 69% in its second weekend, with a global take of $246.6 million. ‘Michael‘ placed fourth with $11.7 million while ‘The Breadwinner‘ ended at fifth with $7.5 million. ‘Pressure‘ took seventh place with $5.8 million.
The film ‘Tuner‘ was outside the top 10, expanding to 452 theaters, earning $1.7 million. Experts like Paul Dergarabedian from Comscore propose that young creators might be the next big influence bringing audiences back to theaters.
- 1. ‘Backrooms,’ $81.5 million.
- 2. ‘Obsession,’ $26.4 million.
- 3. ‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,’ $25 million.
- 4. ‘Michael,’ $11.7 million.
- 5. ‘The Breadwinner,’ $7.5 million.
- 6. ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2,’ $5.9 million.
- 7. ‘Pressure,’ $5.8 million.
- 8. ‘The Sheep Detectives,’ $4.6 million.
- 9. ‘Passenger,’ $2.6 million.
- 10. ‘Mortal Kombat II,’ $2 million.