<\/p>\n
Two of the biggest box-office standouts of 2026 so far were not made by established studio directors or built on franchise IP. <\/p>\n
\u201cObsession\u201d and \u201cBackrooms\u201d<\/a> \u2014 horror films from internet-native directors in their 20s \u2014 have outperformed far more expensive studio releases. <\/p>\n The breakout success of these films has ignited debate across Hollywood about what made these movies so popular, especially among Gen Z moviegoers who haven\u2019t been flocking to cinemas in recent years. Here\u2019s what to know:<\/p>\n \u201dObsession\u201d<\/a> was directed by 26-year-old Curry Barker, who got his start on YouTube with sketch comedy and horror shorts. Released May 15 by Focus Features, the film was made for just $750,000 but opened to a staggering $17 million and has improved on its debut every weekend since. <\/p>\n \u201cObsession\u201d set an all-time horror record for the biggest fourth weekend for a film at the domestic box office, raking in $25.4 million. It now ranks as the year\u2019s fifth most popular film, nearing $200 million domestically and roughly $295 million worldwide \u2014 ahead of Pixar\u2019s \u201cHoppers\u201d<\/a> ($166 million) and Paramount\u2019s \u201cScream 7\u201d<\/a> ($121 million), per Box Office Mojo.<\/p>\n \u201cBackrooms,\u201d from 21-year-old Kane Parsons<\/a> \u2014 known on YouTube as Kane Pixels \u2014 drew on an online fascination with liminal spaces<\/a>, leading audiences through an endless run of nearly indistinguishable rooms. <\/p>\n Released May 29 by A24 (known for such acclaimed films as \u201cMoonlight\u201d and Everything Everywhere All at Once\u201d) on a reported $10-million budget, it opened to $81 million and crossed $100 million in under a week<\/a>. <\/p>\n Within two and a half weeks, it had outgrossed the entire theatrical runs of horror films \u201cFive Nights at Freddy\u2019s 2,\u201d \u201cSmile\u201d and \u201cScream 7.\u201d It sits as 2026\u2019s eighth-highest-grossing film.<\/p>\n The audiences are young. In recent weeks, nearly 90% of \u201cBackrooms\u2019\u201d viewers were under 35<\/a>, with more than half under 25. Over \u201cObsession\u2019s\u201d first few weekends, 75% of the audience was 17 to 34, which is significant at a time when major studios have struggled to consistently get younger viewers to trek to the multiplex. <\/p>\n Audiences have clearly latched onto the stories, said Jason Blum of Blumhouse\u2013Atomic Monster, who worked on both films. <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s been an audience kind of waiting to get back to the movie theaters, and we in Hollywood really have not landed on what would get them back,\u201d he told The Times in an interview this week.<\/p>\n Blum, who upended horror genre with the \u201cParanormal Activity\u201d franchise, ties the success of \u201cBackrooms\u201d and \u201cObsession\u201d to a connection to the directors\u2019 origins. <\/p>\n Because the films were made by creators who speak to younger viewers daily on YouTube, he said, that generation \u201cfeels like they\u2019re being spoken to.\u201d<\/p>\n David Gross, an analyst at FranchiseRe, framed it as a new pipeline of talent and material. Creators can build large followings very inexpensively, he said, and their stories arrive further developed \u2014 which expedites the development and discovery process. He called internet-based storytelling \u201canother additive source for material for movies.\u201d Blum added that the films\u2019 success could make studios more willing to bet on undiscovered directors who \u201cmight not have been considered\u201d before.<\/p>\n Rosie Ramirez, chief marketing officer at Galaxy Theatres, said a young first-wave audience tends to generate buzz. More than a month after \u201cObsession\u201d was released, she said, the Nevada chain\u2019s four California locations are only now seeing a second wave of moviegoers curious about the hype.<\/p>\n Notably, the rise of these two films has unfolded in the shadow of major releases like Disney\u2019s \u201cStar Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,\u201d<\/a> and Mattel\u2019s \u201cMasters of the Universe,\u201d<\/a> both of which returned underwhelming numbers in their respective opening weekends.<\/p>\n Whether this marks a lasting shift or a fluke is unclear. May crossed $1 billion in box office \u2014 with \u201cBackrooms\u201d and \u201cObsession\u201d doing much of the heavy lifting. Despite the improvement, the box office has yet to full return to pre-pandemic levels, with the summer tracking roughly 3.5% behind summer 2019, said Comscore\u2019s Paul Dergarabedian. <\/p>\n And Dergarabedian questioned how the industry could replicate a success that, in his words, was \u201cauthentically and organically created\u201d rather than manufactured: \u201cIt just happened,\u201d he said. <\/p>\nThe numbers<\/h2>\n
Who is watching?<\/h2>\n
Why it\u2019s working<\/h2>\n
Is it a trend or an anomaly?<\/h2>\n