This weekend’s two biggest movies were both directed by YouTubers
This weekend, two horror films directed by YouTubers topped the box office. 'Backrooms' made $38 million on its opening day and is projected to earn up to $90 million over the weekend. Meanwhile, 'Obsession' is experiencing unprecedented growth in its box office performance, becoming the first film since 1982 to increase its earnings in both its second and third weekends.
- ▪'Backrooms' is a feature film based on a YouTube series and has set a record for indie studio A24.
- ▪'Obsession' has shown remarkable growth, making more money in its second weekend than its first.
- ▪Both films are directed by filmmakers who gained fame on YouTube, highlighting a trend of YouTube creators transitioning to mainstream cinema.
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| Publication time | Sat, 30 May 2026 21:12:37 +0000 |
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The YouTube-to-prestige-horror pipeline is looking very strong this weekend. Taking the number one spot at the box office is “Backrooms,” a feature film expansion of Kane Parsons’ series of YouTube videos featuring eerie found footage of a mysterious office space (drawn from a 4chan thread) that defies physics. Directed by Parsons, “Backrooms” made $38 million on Friday, and is expected to bring in a total of $80 million to $90 million at the domestic box office over this weekend alone. For indie studio A24, that’s its biggest opening by far — the previous record was held by “Civil War,” which made $25.7 in its first weekend of release. The number two film, “Obsession,” is pulling off something that’s arguably even more impressive.
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