Impressive box office results for both Backrooms and Obsession, both directed by absurdly young filmmakers who cut their cloth on YouTube, are providing a sharp influx of energy for the film industry.
Film News Blitz’s Dan Lawrence reports on one of the feel-good film stories of 2026.
‘Backrooms’ charges to A24’s strongest box office opening
Backrooms started life as an ambiguous image on internet forums, of a bland, emotionless space.
This prompted various threads and conversations building upon why the image was so eerie.
Enter Kane Parsons, who, as a teenager, took that concept to develop a series of horror shorts on YouTube.
At 20, he has just released a feature film version with A24 starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve.
That release has absolutely smashed it at the box office, grossing $118 million worldwide, an A24 record.
Record-breaking and topping the box office charts is an impressive way for a 20-year-old to make their bow in the world of film, especially with a $10 million budget.
‘Obsession’ continues to defy expectations
Parsons isn’t the only young director bringing a fresh perspective on horror to cinema audiences.
In its third weekend, Obsession, the work of sketch creator Curry Barker, 26, has reached a worldwide gross of $148 million.
This dwarfs its $1 million budget considerably, and a U.S. domestic gross of just over $104 million has set a record for studio Focus Features.
Even more impressive is how Obsession has seen a growth in sales from one weekend to the next, becoming the first film outside of Christmas to increase in both its second and third weekends.
Barker’s film has achieved this incredible feat in part due to the film landing brilliantly with critics and audiences alike.
Horror legends heap praise on Barker and Parsons
Industry eyes are now glued on Barker, keen to see what he comes up with next.
Parsons, too, is garnering attention, and it’s refreshing to see such young filmmakers make a positive impression on the film industry.
It represents a shift.
In the past, the Super 8 home video making was the rite of passage for future Hollywood legends.
YouTube and other forms of social media are the new pathway, demonstrated by Barker and Parsons.
It’s garnered them huge praise from two of Hollywood’s horror aficionados, Jason Blum and James Wan.
Blum’s Blumhouse production company has been behind countless horror hits.
Wan, meanwhile, is a renowned horror director in his own right (with credits like The Conjuring and Insidious) and forged his own production arm, Atomic Monster.
The duo merged their respective companies in 2024, and both Backrooms and Obsession are products of Blumhouse-Atomic Monster.
Speaking at the Produced By Conference at Universal Studios lot Saturday (via The Hollywood Reporter), Blum said, “What I think is so incredible about Obsession and Backrooms is that they’re a new kind of movie. They’re made by non-traditional directors, directors who really honed their skills as creators online.”
The success of Backrooms and Obsession is reminiscent of Zach Cregger’s Weapons last year.
Unique perspectives, original storytelling and box office strength from young, fresh voices are becoming somewhat of a trend.
Wan said, “I say this to anyone who will listen: The horror genre keeps saving our industry.”
He’s 100% correct.
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