It was an incredible weekend for horror at the box office.
Not just because audiences showed up, but because the biggest winners at the box office weren’t veteran Hollywood filmmakers, but two 20-year-old YouTubers Curry Barker (left) and Kane Parsons (right), who have created stories that people want to see.
Kane Parsons’ Backrooms, based on YouTube content he created that went viral, opened to a stunning $81 million domestically, and $118 million worldwide.
That’s already a record for A24, as the film will quickly become their highest grossing film ever as early as next week.
And not to be outdone, the romantic-horror film Obsession (from Curry Barker) earned another $26 million in its 3rd weekend, already the highest-grossing film in the studio Focus Features’ history.
This box office performance is crazy!
Most movies decline after opening weekend, but Obsession is doing the opposite. It’s basically becoming a phenomenon. Not only are new fans finding it, but many are going back to see it again and again.
The film opened to $17 million (already a great debut), but then increased +39% in weekend 2, and then went up ANOTHER +10% in weekend 3!
3 weeks into release, and Obsession is still gaining momentum. That almost never happens.
In fact, it’s so rare that people are comparing it to E.T. from 1982, one of the few major releases ever to consistently grow in wide release after opening.
The dual success of Backrooms and Obsession reminds me of Barbenheimer (can we call this Backsessions?), where both films are seemingly feeding into other’s popularity, as many horror fans aren’t making a choice: they’re seeing both.
But, why are Backrooms and Obsession doing so well, and what 3 lessons can be taken from their breakout successes?
LESSON #1: THERE’S LOTS OF YOUNGER FILMMAKERS OUTSIDE HOLLYWOOD (ESPECIALLY ON YOUTUBE)
Both directors (Kane Parsons for Backrooms, and Curry Barker for Obsession) started as YouTubers in their teens, and built their millions of viewers online before Hollywood even noticed them.
And now, both are dominating the box office.
This tracks. For decades, horror has been THE genre where young filmmakers can easily break through.
- Steven Spielberg (Duel and Jaws)
- Sam Raimi (Evil Dead)
- James Wan (Saw)
- Jordan Peele (Get Out)
Now, we can add Curry Barker and Kane Parsons to that list of emerging talent.
Plus by starting on YouTube, both Kane Parsons and Curry Barker could hone their skills and are now younger, self-trained talents finally getting their turn at bat within Hollywood.
If Steven Spielberg were a teenager today, he probably would’ve started making movies on YouTube.
Looking at these results, that doesn’t seem far-fetched.
LESSON #2: YOUNGER AUDIENCES (GEN-Z & GEN-ALPHA) WANT NEW STORIES AND VOICES
78% of Obsession‘s audience is under 35, while 88% of Backrooms‘ audience is under 35.
That’s really young for both films, showing that younger moviegoers aren’t just casually watching these movies, they’re embracing them. But why?
Because both Curry Barker and Kane Parsons grew up consuming the same internet culture that their audiences did.
It helps too that these movies don’t at feel manufactured, they feel genuine.
LESSON #3: GREAT HORROR STARTS WITH A GREAT HOOK
Horror doesn’t really need big budgets or stars. They usually just need buckets of blood, or a strong hook, or both.
With Obsession the film has an original premise, around Bear, a socially awkward young man, who wishes his crush Nikki would love him.
It’s a classic “be careful what you wish for” premise, executed with a surprising amount of emotional intelligence.
The script shows compassion with its two leads, without letting its male lead Bear off the hook for taking advantage of the situation with Nikki.
Actress Inde Navarrette (who plays the possessed Nikki) has been universally praised for her performance, largely because you’ll occasionally see the “real Nikki” stuck inside trying to escape, in ways you might not even notice on a first viewing.
With Backrooms, the premise is simple:
What if you became trapped inside an endless maze of empty rooms, forgotten hallways, abandoned offices, and places that feel vaguely familiar?
That’s the Backrooms.
The rooms are often referred to as a “memory of a memory,” with how eerie and nightmarish they are.
It’s one of the best horror concepts of the last decade, because almost everyone instinctively understands why it’s terrifying.
Have you ever been stuck in the back exit of an office building, or inside an abandoned mall? If so, you’ll understand why these places are so unsettling.
You don’t need monsters. The setting itself becomes the monster.
If you’re an aspiring horror filmmaker, pay attention.
Both the “wish gone wrong” from Obsession, and the “Backrooms” setting, are fresh interesting concepts, that lend themselves very easily with horror and audiences.
SO… WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Starting with Backrooms, the word of mouth isn’t amazing (it earned a “decent-for-horror” B- grade from CinemaScore), suggesting it’ll be pretty front-loaded.
Still, with an $81 million opening, it doesn’t matter.
I’m expecting Backrooms to end with $165-180+ million domestic, and $250-300+ million worldwide.
And the film only has a budget of $10 million! What an incredible result.
Then, for Obsession, at this point? With how much positive word of mouth it has, the sky is the limit.
Not since The Blair Witch Project in 1999 have we seen this level of indie-horror success.
My guess is the film will continue to stick around, and play in theaters all summer long.
With these legs and word of mouth, Obsession will likely end with $200+ million domestic, and $300-350+ million worldwide.
And this is on a budget of just $750,000. That’s the kind of performance studios DREAM about.
FINAL TAKEAWAY
Horror is at an all-time high right now, and the fact that these two horror films are performing so well alongside each other, is very encouraging.
The successes of Backrooms and Obsession proves that Hollywood’s next generation of filmmakers isn’t waiting for permission anymore.
They’re building audiences online, developing their own voices on YouTube, and are now delivering movies audiences actually want to see.
And judging by these results, this is only the beginning.
And that’s it for this weekend’s box office! Have you seen Backrooms or Obsession yet? If so, what did you think of them, and why do you think they’re doing so well at the box office?
I’m looking forward to writing in this blog again when Disclosure Day opens later in June.
Zan Hollywood Box Office - Analysis Site 
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