YouTube creators drive box office surge as “Backrooms” and “Obsession” dominate weekend rankings

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Two horror films directed by former YouTube creators topped the U.S. box office this weekend, with A24’s “Backrooms” opening at an estimated $80 million to $90 million domestically and “Obsession” continuing an unusual multi-week growth streak, according to industry estimates.

“Backrooms,” directed by Kane Parsons, took the number one spot with $38 million on Friday alone. The film is projected to close its opening weekend with a domestic total between $80 million and $90 million, marking A24’s strongest debut to date. The previous record for the indie studio was held by “Civil War,” which opened at $25.7 million in its first weekend.

The film expands on Parsons’ earlier YouTube series based on eerie found-footage depictions of a surreal office-like environment inspired by an online 4chan thread. Its strong debut underscores growing commercial interest in internet-originated horror concepts transitioning to theatrical releases.

In second place, “Obsession” is projected to earn approximately $28.5 million for the weekend, despite opening with $8 million on Friday. The film has drawn attention for its unusual box office trajectory, with earnings increasing in its second weekend and projected to rise by another 19 percent in its third weekend.

Such performance is highly uncommon in wide theatrical releases, which typically decline 50 to 70 percent in their second weekend. The Hollywood Reporter noted that “Obsession” is reportedly the first film since 1982 to record growth in both its second and third weekends.

The film, which explores a romantic wish that turns into a psychological nightmare, was directed by Curry Barker, a filmmaker who previously gained attention through his YouTube horror project “Milk & Serial” released in 2024. Barker has since completed filming on a new project and is attached to direct a remake of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” according to industry reports.

The weekend’s results follow earlier momentum from “Iron Lung,” a video game adaptation directed by YouTuber Mark Fischbach, known as Markiplier, which grossed nearly $41 million domestically.

In a recent New York Times report on what has been described as a YouTube-to-film industry pipeline, Rutgers Cinema general manager Mark DelVecchio noted that while many YouTube creators have attempted to transition into mainstream filmmaking with limited success, some stand out due to long-term audience development.

“Lots of YouTubers have tried to make the leap to mainstream movies and come up short,” DelVecchio said, adding that creators like Parsons and Barker have benefited from “longevity” and sustained audience engagement built over years of content creation.