Topping the domestic box office is Backrooms, a feature-length expansion of a viral YouTube horror series created by Kane Parsons. The film, released by indie studio A24, earned $38 million on Friday alone and is projected to gross between $80 million and $90 million over the weekend.

For A24, this marks its biggest opening to date, surpassing its previous record set by Civil War, which debuted with $25.7 million.

Backrooms is based on Parsons’ short-form YouTube videos inspired by an internet horror concept originating from a 4chan thread. The story centres on a surreal, physics-defying office space presented through found-footage-style visuals. Parsons, just 20 years old, directed the film himself.

The second-highest-grossing release, Obsession, is also a horror title — and another YouTube-to-cinema success story. Directed by Curry Barker, the film earned $8 million on Friday and is expected to bring in around $28.5 million over the weekend.

While its opening figures are more modest, Obsession is drawing attention for its unusual box office trajectory. The film has earned more in its second weekend than in its first, and its third weekend is projected to grow by a further 19 percent — a rare feat in modern cinema.

Industry analysts note that most wide releases typically fall by 50 to 70 percent in their second weekend. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Obsession is the first film since 1982 to post growth in both its second and third weekends, outside of the Christmas holiday period.

Like Parsons, Barker built his reputation online. He gained attention in 2024 with the hour-long found-footage horror film Milk & Serial, released on YouTube. Barker has since completed production on his next feature and is set to direct a new remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

The strong performance of Backrooms and Obsession follows the earlier success of Iron Lung, a video game adaptation released earlier this year. Directed by Mark Fischbach, better known as Markiplier, the film grossed nearly $41 million domestically.

Industry observers say the trend reflects more than just internet fame. In a recent New York Times report on the rise of YouTube filmmakers, Rutgers Cinema general manager Mark DelVecchio noted that while many online creators have struggled to transition into mainstream film, those who succeed tend to have one key advantage: longevity.

“These filmmakers have spent years building loyal audiences,” DelVecchio said. “That kind of sustained engagement is difficult to replicate through traditional routes.”

With studios increasingly searching for proven audiences and lower-risk bets, the weekend’s box office results suggest that YouTube may now be one of Hollywood’s most reliable talent pipelines.