The two biggest films currently on the American cinema market, "Backrooms" and "Obsession," come from authors in their twenties who honed their craft on YouTube, and that very fact could significantly influence modern cinema, writes CNN.
Their films were made on relatively small budgets and promoted primarily online. Now that movie theaters are filling up, all of Hollywood has turned to new generations of teenagers and young adults who otherwise rarely go to the movies. Experts predict that studios will try to copy this model of filmmaking in the coming years.
“Obsession,” directed by 26-year-old Kari Barker, hit theaters on May 15. Made for about $750, this darkly humorous horror film has grossed nearly $150 million to date, representing an incredible return on investment for Focus Features and Blumhouse Productions.
Then came “Backrooms,” directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons, who had been developing the project for years on his YouTube channel.
Parsons had a larger budget of around $10 million and a big-name cast including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renata Reinswe, and Mark Duplass. Still, it was surprising to see how “Backrooms” dominated the box office during its opening weekend. The psychological horror film topped the box office charts, earning around $80 million in North America and $120 million worldwide, with ticket sales driven largely by members of Generation Z.
Studio A24, which has been heavily supporting young filmmakers in recent years, announced that Parsons is now the youngest director in Hollywood history whose film finished at number one at the box office during its opening weekend.
“Obsession” was the second most-watched film over the weekend, pushing “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” into third place, even though that film premiered a week earlier.
For most films, the opening weekend brings the biggest box office gains, after which ticket sales decline. But “Obsession” continues to grow. Focus Features said Sunday that “excluding the Christmas holiday, ‘Obsession’ is the first film since 1982 to see box office gains between its second and third weekends.”
This is primarily an indication that young people are willing to buy movie tickets if they know and feel a connection to talents who have come of age in the YouTube era. It also means that Hollywood studios will be looking for the next big authors on online video platforms.
Perhaps this will lead some studio executives to invest more often in original ideas instead of predictable franchises and sequels.
Mark Duplass, who plays a scientist in "Backrooms," said in a video post on social media that the two films represent a "glimmer of hope" for the film industry.
"We have an example of authors who have spent years developing their ideas, publishing them online and building an audience. And now those who control the money will notice... because they see what such projects can achieve at the box office, as evidenced by these two films that have far exceeded expectations," he explained.
Producers and agents have been building bridges between YouTube and Hollywood for some time. Last winter, strong ticket sales for YouTuber Mark Fishbach's self-funded film "Iron Lung" showed just how much potential such projects have.
However, as screenwriter Zack Stentz wrote on the X network:
“This feels like a real cultural moment in the world of film - we're seeing Generation Z, who honed their craft through YouTube shorts, transitioning to feature films in the same way that MTV directors in the 1980s and Sundance auteurs in the 1990s did.”
Journalist Steven Zeitzik of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that these YouTube hits are “a volatile moment, if not the first hint of the collapse of a studio system based on legacy and established names.”
According to him, this is not just about discovering new talent. The YouTube platform, owned by Alphabet, helps filmmakers become famous, broadcasts their content, enables them to partner with brands and provides them with a powerful marketing megaphone.
“This is a phenomenon created, driven and controlled by content creators, with the support of one of the largest companies in the world that gives them the space to reach an audience,” he wrote. MZ
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