Key Takeaways
- The horror films Backrooms and Obsession have shattered box‑office expectations, earning $85 million and $24 million respectively in their opening weekends.
- Both movies benefited from strong online followings of their young directors (Kane Parsons and Curry Barker), showing that platforms like YouTube are now talent scouts comparable to Sundance or MTV.
- Their success proves that mainstream audiences crave original, imaginative cinema that “thinks outside the box,” even as traditional tent‑pole franchises remain dominant.
- Released by indie powerhouses A24 (Backrooms) and Focus Features (Obsession), the films illustrate how independent studios can drive cultural shifts similar to Miramax’s impact in the 1990s.
- The industry’s lesson is not to abandon franchise models but to complement them with bold, surprising projects that tap into new ways of seeing and generational anxieties.
- If Hollywood embraces this mindset, theatrical releases can thrive again by delivering the novelty audiences actively seek.
The weekend of May 2024 marked a turning point for Hollywood’s perception of originality. Two horror releases—Backrooms, an experimental, almost Lynchian head‑game, and Obsession, a stylized funhouse take on a romance that spirals into mental‑illness terror—defied conventional box‑office logic. Backrooms is projected to gross roughly $85 million its opening weekend, a figure described as “insane” for a film that feels like The Blair Witch Project amplified tenfold. Obsession opened with $17 million, then jumped to $24 million in its second weekend, a rise that “defies the laws of box‑office gravity.”
Much of the buzz surrounds the directors’ digital origins. Kane Parsons (Backrooms) and Curry Barker (Obsession) cultivated fervent followings on YouTube and other platforms before transitioning to feature film. Observers note that YouTube has become the new Sundance—or the new MTV—where studios discover “hot” filmmakers. While Backrooms owes much of its aesthetic to the structural, atmospheric DNA of the web, Obsession leans less on that lineage but still benefits from the directors’ online credibility.
Yet the article argues that the takeaway should go beyond “hip filmmakers with web followings sell.” The real lesson is a broader prescription for an industry stuck in a creative rut: think outside the box, but do not discard the box. Tent‑pole franchises will continue to rule, but an over‑reliance on formulaic sequels and reboots has bred addiction to safety nets. The triumph of these two films demonstrates a principle already visible in 2024’s slate: if you build something truly novel, audiences will arrive. Examples cited include the edgy marital drama The Drama and the off‑beat Pixar comedy Hoppers.
What, then, should Hollywood build? The answer is more movies ripped straight from imagination—films that venture around forbidden corners, surprise viewers, and avoid retreading familiar ground. Such pictures tap into new audiences by offering fresh ways of seeing the world. Backrooms exemplifies this with its surreal, industrial‑sound‑garden nightmare vibe, reminiscent of David Lynch’s Eraserhead, yet it managed to become a blockbuster. Obsession, while more conventional in structure, delivers a shivery, funhouse‑vision of romance that deteriorates into compulsive neediness, mirroring a depressive/narcissistic/schizophrenic breakdown. Its terror feels real because it taps into generational anxieties about love, identity, and mental health.
Both films were released by independent companies: Backrooms by A24 (poised to become the studio’s biggest hit) and Obsession by Focus Features, which acquired it for $14 million at the previous year’s Toronto International Film Festival. A24 and Focus are known for taking risks, and their willingness to back unconventional projects mirrors the way Miramax reshaped Hollywood in the 1990s. The piece speculates that A24, following successes like Marty Supreme, The Drama, and now Backrooms, may be entering its own “Miramax era,” poised to bend cultural conversations and the theatrical curve.
A counterfactual is offered: had Netflix bought Obsession at TIFF, the film might have vanished into streaming obscurity, with little cultural conversation. Theatrical releases, by contrast, give such works a platform to become communal events, reinforcing the value of the traditional release window.
Ultimately, the article urges Hollywood to move past hand‑wringing about streaming and the myth that “young people don’t like movies.” The data show that audiences do crave cinema that surprises them—provided it is delivered with authenticity and imagination. By embracing a mindset that says, “Fuck the box,” the industry can reignite excitement for the theatrical experience, proving that originality, not just franchise familiarity, drives people back to theaters. The $85 million question—what Hollywood needs to build—finds its answer in bold, imaginative storytelling that dares to go where no formula has gone before.