YouTubers draw Gen Z to theatres with ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Obsession’ | Entertainment
AP:
Young audiences turned out in droves to movie theatres around the country this weekend for a small-budget horror from a 20-year-old first-time filmmaker that began on the Internet. Backrooms, released by A24 in 3,442 locations in the U.S. and Canada, made an astonishing $81.5 million in its first three days in theatres, according to studio estimates on Sunday. And Backrooms, which was directed and co-written by YouTube creator Kane Parsons, cost only $10 million to produce.
The wild success of the film didn’t even hurt Obsession, which is also the directorial debut of a YouTuber, Curry Barker, who is only 26. Three weekends in, a movie that cost less than $1 million to make still hasn’t dropped below its opening weekend earnings. This weekend, it was up 10 per cent with another $26.4 million for a second-place finish, leaving Star Wars, the legacy franchise movie from the veteran filmmaker and the Walt Disney Studios, in third with $25 million.
YouTube might not be the death of movie theatres after all. If this weekend is any indication, it could be the industry’s new great hope.
This is a weekend where theatres also hosted the debuts of The Breadwinner, a PG-rated family comedy starring the popular comedian Nate Bargatze, and Pressure, a solid World War II drama about the tense 72 hours before D-Day with Oscar-winner Brendan Fraser. But it was the 20-something YouTubers who drew the most crowds. And both films were produced by Blumhouse-Atomic Monster.
Abhijay Prakash, the president of Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, said that the weekend is both staggering and a validation of their business, which has from the beginning championed original horror movies that appeal to younger audiences, and generated over $10 billion in box office to date.
He noted that they’ve made a point of looking for up-and-coming talent on YouTube and, knowing how Hollywood works, this weekend may inspire a wave of copycats. But, beyond that, he’s encouraged by the fact that the young creators who’ve already had enormous success online still value the cultural currency of theatrical movies.
“It’s a great sign of relevance for us,” Prakash said. “With some distance, we’ll probably look back at this as a real turning point.”
Backrooms started as a creepypasta — an internet-generated urban legend — before Parsons turned the concept, about a never-ending expanse of dull, depressing rooms and hallways, into a viral web series, which he made with the help of the open-source 3D graphics software Blender. It caught the attention of James Wan and Shawn Levy’s production companies, who were interested in taking it to the next level. Soon, a movie was in development with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve starring.
It wasn’t just a domestic hit either, as it has already made $118 million globally. A24 said Parsons is now the youngest director to have a No. 1 film globally.
The R-rated film was well-reviewed by critics and drew a young and diverse crowd to theatres. According to exit polls, 86 per cent of the audience was under 35. Many attended in groups and there were reports of sold-out shows, packed theatres and repeat viewings. Audiences gave it a less-than-stellar B- CinemaScore, however.
Luis Olloqui, the CEO of Cinépolis USA, which operates 26 theatres across the country — most of which are dine-in — said they’ve seen sellouts at many of their locations for both movies.
“We were a little worried that they would be competing for the same audience. It’s not the case,” Olloqui said. “It shows that, when we have the right content, people from all ages are willing to go to the theater.”
The Mandalorian and Grogu, meanwhile, fell around 69% from its opening last weekend. The movie has now made $246.6 million globally.
Michael landed in fourth place with $11.7 million in its sixth weekend — the musical biopic has made $339.9 million domestically to date.