Key facts
- YouTuber-created horror film 'Backrooms' earned $81 million on an $10 million budget.
- YouTuber-created horror film 'Obsession' has grossed over $150 million worldwide on a budget under $1 million.
- Both 'Backrooms' and 'Obsession' outgrossed Disney's 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' at the box office.
- 'Backrooms' director Kane Parsons is 20 years old, making him the youngest director with the No. 1 film.
- 'Obsession' saw a 39% increase in earnings its second weekend, a rare feat for wide releases.
- Jason Blum of BlumHouse Productions produced both 'Backrooms' and 'Obsession.'
Two independent horror films created by young YouTubers, 'Backrooms' and 'Obsession,' have achieved remarkable box office success, outperforming Disney's latest 'Star Wars' installment, 'The Mandalorian and Grogu.' Twenty-year-old Kane Parsons directed 'Backrooms,' a feature film adaptation of his popular YouTube series, which earned $81 million on an $10 million budget and became the No. 1 film at the box office. The film's audience was notably young, with nearly 85% under 35 and over 50% 25 or younger. 'Obsession,' directed by 26-year-old Curry Barker, who is part of the YouTube duo 'That's a Bad Idea,' has grossed over $150 million worldwide on a budget under $1 million. It also showed impressive weekend-over-weekend growth, a rare feat for wide releases. Both films were produced by Jason Blum of BlumHouse Productions. In contrast, 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' underperformed, experiencing a significant drop from its opening weekend and is projected to be the worst-performing 'Star Wars' movie at the box office.