A emerging generation of horror filmmakers who got started on YouTube has arrived in theaters, driving unusually strong turnout among young audiences that have long been hard to draw.
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“Backrooms,” a low budget horror film from 20-year-old first-time filmmaker Kane Parsons, grossed a staggering $81.5 million in its first three days in theaters, crushing box-office predictions and setting multiple industry records, including the largest opening weekend ever for an original horror movie.
Based on Parson’s popular web series exploring eerie, liminal spaces, the horror film far outperformed the big-budget Star Wars installment “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” which grossed $25 million in its second weekend in theaters.
“Nobody expected this to open above $80 million,” analyst Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations told Variety. “There’s an obsession with ‘Backrooms’ mythology, and part of that is responsible for the Marvel-sized opening weekend.”
The breakout success of “Backrooms” didn’t overshadow the sustained box-office performance of “Obsession,” a horror film from 26-year-old Curry Barker, who also began his filmmaking career on YouTube. In its third weekend in theaters, the film — produced for under $1 million — pulled in more than $26 million.
“(’Backrooms’ and ‘Obsession’) can co-exist because there’s a massive demand for it,” Bock added, per Variety. “Both films doing amazing business in the height of summer proves this audience cannot be satiated yet.”
According to exit polls, 86% of the “Backrooms” audience was under 35, more than half were 25 or younger and 44% were under 21. With “Obsession,” 75% of early crowds were between 18 and 25 years old.
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This weekend suggests YouTube might not be killing movie theaters in younger generations — it could fuel their revival instead.
“Everyone’s asking what’s the next big thing in Hollywood for movies, and what can bring people back to the movie theater? And this may be it,” Paul Dergarabedian, the head of marketplace trends for Comscore, told The Associated Press.
Also opening this weekend were Nate Bargatze’s debut film “The Breadwinner,” which opened at $7.5 million, and “Pressure,” a WWII drama with Oscar-winner Brendan Fraser, which grossed $5.7 million.
After the strong performances of “Backrooms” and “Obsession,” the box office’s recent resurgence is expected to continue through the summer, with several major releases still ahead.
A slate of upcoming summer blockbusters, including Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” Marvel’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5,″ is expected to keep audiences returning to theaters in the months ahead.
“Movie theaters are going to be very busy,” predicts Adam Aron, CEO of AMC Theatres, per Variety.