A rare occurrence occurred at the North American weekend box office: the top two films were both directed by creators who first gained fame on YouTube, and both were horror films. This demonstrates that the entry of video platform creators into the mainstream film industry is moving from isolated cases to a more stable industry phenomenon.
Backrooms opens with record-breaking opening weekend.
At the top of the list is "Backrooms." Directed by Kane Parsons, this film is based on his previous short film series of the same name released on YouTube, and the story revolves around a bizarre office space that defies the laws of physics.
The film is projected to gross $81 million at the North American box office this weekend, breaking the opening weekend record for independent studio A24. This record was previously held by *Civil War*, which grossed $25.7 million in its opening weekend.
Obsession bucks the trend and rises for three consecutive weeks.
Second on the list is "Obsession," with a projected weekend box office of $26.4 million. More noteworthy than its opening weekend surge is the film's continued strength after release, with its second weekend box office already surpassing its opening weekend.
The report noted that the film's third weekend is expected to see a further 10% increase. This trend is extremely rare for films released on a large scale. Typically, a film's second weekend will see a 50% to 70% drop compared to its opening weekend.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, *Obsession* became the first film since 1982 to see growth in both its second and third weekends. Director Curry Barker also initially gained recognition on YouTube before transitioning to feature film production.
YouTube creators are accelerating their entry into theaters.
This trend isn't limited to this week. The video game adaptation *Iron Lung*, released earlier this year, also achieved unexpected success, grossing nearly $41 million in North America. The film's director, Mark Fischbach, is better known as YouTube creator Markiplier.
In an interview with The New York Times, Mark DelVecchio, general manager of Rutgers Cinemas, stated that many YouTubers have attempted to enter the mainstream film industry but have not truly established themselves. What Parsons, Barker, and Fischbach have in common is a stable audience built through long-term creative work.
Judging from this weekend's results, these creators not only successfully transitioned from platform content to theatrical feature films, but also outperformed traditional big-budget productions commercially. Both films grossed more than "The Mandalorian and Grogu," which is projected to earn approximately $24 million this weekend.
