From YouTube to Hollywood: Content creators dominate the box office with horror films
American cinemas witnessed a remarkable phenomenon this week, after two films directed by content creators who became famous through the " YouTube " platform topped the box office list, in a new indication of the growing influence of digital creators on the traditional film industry. The horror film "Backrooms" took first place in revenue. It is an expanded cinematic version of the popular video series presented by the young director Ken Parsons on "YouTube," which revolves around mysterious footage of abandoned offices that defies the laws of physics, inspired by one of the stories that spread on the 4chan forum. The film, directed by Parsons, grossed $38 million on Friday alone, with expectations that its total domestic revenue over the weekend will reach between $80 and $90 million, according to a report published by TechCrunch and reviewed by Al Arabiya Business. This is the biggest opening in A24 Studios' history, surpassing the previous record set by "Civil War" with revenues of $25.7 million during its first week. The second place went to the horror film "Obsession", which performed exceptionally well despite its lower revenues. The film grossed $8 million on Friday, with expectations that the weekend total will reach approximately $28.5 million. What makes the film's success remarkable is that it generated higher revenues in its second week compared to the first, while estimates indicate an additional 19% growth in its third week. This phenomenon is extremely rare at the box office, where most commercial films experience a drop of between 50% and 70% in their second weekend. According to a report published by The Hollywood Reporter, "Obsession" is the first film since 1982 to achieve revenue growth during its second and third consecutive weekends. The film is directed by Carey Parker, who was first introduced to the public via YouTube through the documentary-style horror film "Milk & Serial," which he posted on the platform in 2024. Parker is currently working on new film projects, including a new version of the classic horror film "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". This success comes after the strong performance of the video game adaptation of "Iron Lung," directed by Mark Fischbach, known on YouTube as "Markiplier". The film has grossed nearly $41 million domestically since its release earlier this year. Observers believe that the success of these directors is due to many years of building a loyal online audience. In this context, Mark Delvecchio, general manager of Rutgers University Cinema, said that many content creators have tried to move to traditional cinema but have not achieved the same success. He added that what distinguishes Ken Parsons, Carrie Parker and Marc Fischbach is that they have a strong fan base built over years of content production, which has helped them move their followers from small screens to movie theaters. The success of these films seems to confirm that YouTube is no longer just a platform for creating digital content, but has also become a real gateway for launching a new generation of filmmakers capable of competing with the major Hollywood studios.
0 Comments