"A massive shift is happening at the box office right now. Audiences are skipping major studio franchises. Instead, they are rushing to watch two low budget horror movies," a film critic wrote on Sunday, celebrating the success of two of the biggest indie films to have ever been made in world cinema. These figures are for North America.
Backrooms just shattered records for indie studio A24 by raking in a stunning $81.5 million during its opening weekend in North America. This marks the biggest debut in the history of the studio. The movie is directed by Kane Parsons, who is just 20. It is based on his viral YouTube found footage series. The project cost only $10 million to produce.
At the same time, the supernatural thriller Obsession is continuing its historic run. The film was made for less than $1 million by YouTuber Curry Barker. It has now crossed $104 million domestically. In its third weekend, the film actually grew in popularity. It brought in another $26.4 million. This kind of upward trajectory is incredibly rare for modern horror. Word of mouth and social media hype are driving the numbers higher every day.
Together, these two films brought in over $100 million this weekend alone. They are proving that community engagement matters more than giant marketing budgets. Audiences are craving original ideas over endless sequels. Theater owners are thrilled with the unexpected summer boom.
