YouTubers Turn Horror Hits Into $60 Million and $90 Million Box-Office Breakouts
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · May 31
YouTubers Turn Horror Hits Into $60 Million and $90 Million Box-Office Breakouts
2 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · May 31
$60 million for Curry Barker’s “Obsession” after two weekends and an $85 million-$90 million opening for Kane Parsons’s “Backrooms” have cemented YouTube creators as a new pipeline for Hollywood horror.
YouTube gives filmmakers a place to test ideas, sharpen technique and build audiences far beyond local festivals, making it attractive to studios seeking proven storytellers with built-in followings.
A24, Focus, Neon and other indie studios are backing creators whose online work showed they could deliver distinctive worlds on tiny budgets; Barker’s film cost under $1 million, while “Backrooms” was made for $10 million.
The shift is also broadening horror’s influences, with executives pointing to internet-born references such as creepypastas and gaming culture, even as the current breakout wave remains dominated by young male creators.
Will the raw authenticity of YouTube horror survive the polish of big-budget studio filmmaking?
Beyond a huge following, what is the secret formula for creators to truly conquer the film industry?
As creators build their own studios, is Hollywood's traditional power structure facing an inevitable collapse?