The horror film "Backrooms" directed by Kane Parsons has taken the number one spot at the box office, bringing in an estimated $81 million domestically this weekend. The movie is a feature expansion of Parsons' YouTube series featuring eerie found footage of a mysterious office space that defies physics. This marks the biggest opening for indie studio A24, surpassing its previous record held by "Civil War" with $25.7 million.
In related news, horror film "Obsession" directed by Curry Barker is also performing exceptionally well. Despite an estimated weekend total of only $26.4 million, it has already made more money in its second weekend than its first and is set to grow another 10 percent in its third weekend. According to the Hollywood Reporter, "Obsession" is the first film since 1982 to grow on both its second and third weekends.
The success of these two films follows the surprise hit video game adaptation "Iron Lung," directed by Mark Fischbach (Markiplier) which grossed nearly $41 million domestically. Experts attribute their success to their longevity in creating content for YouTube, developing a loyal audience that follows them.
"Backrooms" and "Obsession" both outperform the upcoming release of "The Mandalorian and Grogu," the first Star Wars film in seven years, which is on track to gross $24 million this weekend.
