‘Obsession’ trailer
Trailer for Focus Features’ horror film “Obsession” starring Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette. Directed by Curry Barker.
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New YouTubers are making big waves at the box office.
Twenty-year-old Kane Parsons became the youngest director to have a No. 1 film at the box office with his new horror film “Backrooms,” which grossed a whopping $81 million.
“Backrooms” is the big screen version of Parsons’ 2022 found web series inspired by a 2019 photo posted on social media site 4chan. The series follows a group of scientists who discover a shocking dimension that comes in the form of seemingly endless indoor spaces.
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“Back Rooms,” starring Renate Reinsve, earned a whopping $81 million in its opening weekend. (Courtesy of A24)
His YouTube account, called Kane Pixels, has over 3 million subscribers. And the first installment in his series “Backrooms” has more than 81 million views.
Parsons’ film, which stars Oscar-nominated actors Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve, reportedly had a budget of $10 million and had early projections to gross $20 million in its opening weekend. However, as the release date slowly approached, speculation began to explode, reaching $40-50 million and only rising higher.
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Variety reported that “about 85% of the audience” was under the age of 35, according to PostTrak data, and “more than 50% were 25 or younger.” It will soon become the highest grossing film for the independent entertainment company A24.
“This is a rock-bottom success in an unexpected way,” responded Rotten Tomatoes columnist Erick Childress.
20-year-old “Backrooms” director Kane Parsons, known as Kane Pixels on YouTube, is still the youngest director to have a No. 1 film at the box office. (Lisa O’Connor/AFP via Getty Images)
Parsons isn’t the only content creator to defy the odds in the box. Twenty-six-year-old writer/director Curry Barker first rose to prominence last month with his low-budget horror film “Obsession.” It made $17 million in its opening weekend, shattering box office projections of less than $10 million.
Barker is part of the comedy duo “That’s a Bad Idea,” which has more than 1 million followers on YouTube and TikTok.
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“Obsession” went on to do the near-impossible; it made more money the following weekend, earning nearly $24 million — $30 million including Memorial Day — an impressive 39% increase from its opening weekend, surpassing even bigger films like “Devil Wears Prada 2” and the Michael Jackson biopic “Michael.” It even surpassed the new Star Wars movie “The Mandalorian and Grogu” last Wednesday.
And in its third weekend, “Obsession” made even more money, which brought in $26 million this past weekend.
“Obsession,” directed by 26-year-old content creator Curry Barker, broke box office norms by making more money in the following two weekends than in its opening weekend. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
“It did something that hasn’t been done in a movie since 2000,” Childress wrote. “You can go back to the ’80s for summer movies like ‘ET’ and ‘Superman II’ that did it. Even R-rated movies like ‘Risky Business,’ ‘The Untouchables,’ ‘No Way Out’ and ‘Ruthless People.’ But not in modern times, and not among films that started as wide releases. “
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“Obsession” follows a young man who uses a newborn toy to make his friend fall in love with him – only to find that his wish is quickly backfired.
The film, which starred many unknowns and cost less than $1 million to make, has now grossed over $100 million domestically and $150 million worldwide.
Inde Navarrette stars as Nikki and Michael Johnston as Bear in “Obsession,” a Focus Features release. (Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2026 Focus Features LLC)
“Back Rooms” and “Obsession,” both produced by horror financier Jason Blum of BlumHouse Productions, edged out “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” which finished third at the box office and suffered an impressive 69% from its already tough opening weekend.
“It won’t be as big a financial loss as ‘Solo’ was, but ultimately making less than that film worldwide may require a course correction [Star Wars] franchise,” said Childress.
“The Mandalorian and Grogu” followed two horror films last weekend, making $25 million domestically. While the Jon Favreau-directed film probably won’t be considered a box office bomb due to its $165 million budget (it has made $250 million worldwide so far), it will likely be the worst Star Wars film at the box office.
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The new Star Wars film “The Mandalorian and Grogu” dropped 69% from its opening weekend at the box office, coming in third behind low-budget horror films “Backrooms” and “Obsession.” (Copyright of Lucasfilm. © 2026 Lucasfilm Ltd™. All Rights Reserved.)
The disappointing numbers from the last Star Wars installment could leave Disney executives nervous, especially since another Star Wars movie starring Ryan Gosling is slated for next year.
Meanwhile, “Backrooms” and “Obsession” will be considered the two most profitable movies of the year.
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