The two original new movies breaking box office records and topping Star Wars | Films | Entertainment
Something is happening at the cinema. This past May, Disney released their first Star Wars movie in 7 years to little enthusiasm. The $165 million The Mandalorian and Grogu have so far made almost $250 million worldwide, a far cry from the billion-dollar days of the Skywalker sequel trilogy.
Meanwhile, Star Wars is being beaten at the box office by two original low-budget horror movies, directed by a 19-year-old and a 25-year-old discovered on YouTube, that are proving to be mammoth hits. They are the critically acclaimed Obsession and Backrooms and they look like the start of something new, refreshing and exciting in Hollywood storytelling, in films that push the boundaries of the horror genre.
First up is Obsession, written and directed by Curry Barker for Blumhouse. The now 26-year-old filmmaker’s horror follows Bear, a music story employee who makes a monkey paw wish that his friend Nikki would love him more than anyone else in the world. Yet when the cheapo gift shop wish toy actually works, he discovers he gets what he wants, but with terrifying consequences. Made for just $750,000, Obsession has taken an astonishing $151 million worldwide and counting.
In an unprecedented moment for the history books, the film’s box office has grown week on week to the point that it’s become the first wide release since 1982’s ET to increase on its third weekend. That’s word of mouth for you. Meanwhile. Obsession is also Focus Features’ highest-grossing film domestically, beating 2019’s $97 million for Downton Abbey.
Next up is Backrooms. Teenager Kane Parsons created a web series based on the internet horror meme (known as creepy pasta) of endless liminal spaces. Think Stranger Things’ Upside Down, but if it were a yellow office corridor. After his YouTube series went viral, Parsons was given the opportunity to make his directorial debut aged just 19 by bringing Backrooms to the big screen. Chitwetel Ejiofor stars in the eerie sci-fi psychological horror as a furniture store owner who discovers the Backrooms dimension in his basement. Made on budget of just $10 million, Backrooms has made over $118 million and counting, making it A24’s biggest opening weekend of all time. No doubt, both Obsession and Backrooms will get sequels and become franchises, but hopefully, Hollywood will learn a lesson and continue to take a risk on YouTuber filmmakers who just need their big break. After all, Gen Z are clearly showing up to the cinema to see this stuff.
