[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"nav-categories":3,"article-youtube-directors-conquer-the-big-screen-two-horror-hits-show-the-platform-s-power":70},{"data":4},[5,37,57,64],{"name":6,"slug":7,"categories":8},"Productivity","productivity",[9,13,17,21,25,29,33],{"id":10,"title":11,"slug":12},17,"Branding","branding",{"id":14,"title":15,"slug":16},19,"Marketing","marketing",{"id":18,"title":19,"slug":20},20,"Work","work",{"id":22,"title":23,"slug":24},34,"Community","community",{"id":26,"title":27,"slug":28},21,"For newbies","for-newbies",{"id":30,"title":31,"slug":32},24,"Investment","investment",{"id":34,"title":35,"slug":36},22,"Finance","finance",{"name":38,"slug":39,"categories":40},"Tech","tech",[41,45,49,53],{"id":42,"title":43,"slug":44},28,"Technology","technology",{"id":46,"title":47,"slug":48},32,"Artificial Intelligence","artificial-intelligence",{"id":50,"title":51,"slug":52},26,"Security and protection","security-and-protection",{"id":54,"title":55,"slug":56},31,"YouTube Blog","youtube-blog",{"name":58,"slug":59,"categories":60},"News","news",[61],{"id":62,"title":58,"slug":63},18,"quasanews",{"name":65,"slug":66,"categories":67},"Business","business",[68],{"id":69,"title":65,"slug":66},16,{"post":71,"published_news":97,"popular_news":150,"categories":221},{"title":72,"description":73,"meta_title":72,"meta_description":74,"meta_keywords":75,"text":76,"slug":77,"created_at":78,"publish_at":78,"formatted_created_at":79,"category_id":54,"links":80,"view_type":85,"video_url":86,"views":87,"likes":88,"lang":89,"comments_count":88,"category":90},"YouTube Directors Conquer the Big Screen: Two Horror Hits Show the Platform’s Power","For aspiring filmmakers, the path forward has never been clearer: start building your audience online today. Because tomorrow, that audience might just fill theaters.","This past weekend, the two highest-grossing films in North America were both directed by creators who built their careers on YouTube","Both films easily outperformed Disney’s big-budget The Mandalorian and Grogu, which opened in more theaters but landed in third place.","\u003Cp>The box office is no longer Hollywood’s exclusive domain. This past weekend, the two highest-grossing films in North America were both directed by creators who built their careers on YouTube — a striking sign that the platform has become a genuine launchpad for mainstream cinematic success.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>\u003Cpicture>\u003Csource srcset=\"https://cdn.quasa.io/photos/0001/image-2026-06-01t105353092.webp\" type=\"image/webp\">\u003Cimg alt=\"YouTube Directors Conquer the Big Screen: Two Horror Hits Show the Platform’s Power\" class=\"image-align-left\" height=\"201\" src=\"https://cdn.quasa.io/photos/0001/image-2026-06-01t105353092.jpg\" width=\"300\" />\u003C/picture>“Backrooms\u003C/strong>,” directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons (known online as Kane Pixels), exploded out of the gate with an estimated \u003Cstrong>$81 million\u003C/strong> domestic opening weekend — shattering A24’s previous record held by \u003Cstrong>Civil War\u003C/strong> ($25.7 million) and becoming the biggest indie debut in history.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>The film, a feature-length expansion of Parsons’ wildly popular found-footage YouTube series inspired by a 4chan creepypasta, drew massive crowds of under-35 viewers who had followed the original web videos for years.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cpicture>\u003Csource srcset=\"https://cdn.quasa.io/photos/0001/image-2026-06-01t105349658.webp\" type=\"image/webp\">\u003Cimg alt=\"YouTube Directors Conquer the Big Screen: Two Horror Hits Show the Platform’s Power\" class=\"image-align-right\" height=\"447\" src=\"https://cdn.quasa.io/photos/0001/image-2026-06-01t105349658.jpg\" width=\"300\" />\u003C/picture>Meanwhile, “\u003Cstrong>Obsession\u003C/strong>,” directed by 26-year-old YouTuber Curry Barker, continued its remarkable run. After opening to $17.1 million, the low-budget ($750,000) romantic horror-thriller defied industry norms by actually \u003Cstrong>growing\u003C/strong> at the box office in its second and third weekends — the first film to achieve this since 1982.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>It added another $26.4 million in its third weekend alone, pushing its domestic total past $100 million. Barker’s earlier YouTube found-footage hit *Milk & Serial* (2024) clearly built the loyal fanbase that turned word-of-mouth into box-office gold.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>Both films easily outperformed Disney’s big-budget \u003Cstrong>The Mandalorian and Grogu\u003C/strong>, which opened in more theaters but landed in third place.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>The success stories don’t stop there. Earlier this year, Markiplier (Mark Fischbach) scored a surprise hit with \u003Cstrong>Iron Lung\u003C/strong>, which grossed nearly $41 million domestically. Together, these three titles point to a clear “YouTube-to-prestige-horror pipeline.”\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>Why is this wave working now when previous YouTube-to-cinema attempts largely fell short? Analysts point to one key factor: \u003Cstrong>longevity\u003C/strong>. Parsons, Barker, and Fischbach have been creating content for years, cultivating deeply loyal audiences that don’t just watch — they show up on opening night.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cpicture>\u003Csource srcset=\"https://cdn.quasa.io/photos/0001/image-2026-06-01t105347807.webp\" type=\"image/webp\">\u003Cimg alt=\"YouTube Directors Conquer the Big Screen: Two Horror Hits Show the Platform’s Power\" class=\"image-align-left\" height=\"201\" src=\"https://cdn.quasa.io/photos/0001/image-2026-06-01t105347807.jpg\" width=\"300\" />\u003C/picture>Rutgers Cinema general manager Mark DelVecchio told \u003Cstrong>The New York Times\u003C/strong>: “\u003Ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/29/business/media/backrooms-film-youtube.html\">Lots of YouTubers have tried to make the leap to mainstream movies and come up short. At this point, some of them have been making videos for a very long time, and that’s how you develop a loyal audience that will follow you\u003C/a>.”\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>Talent and storytelling skill obviously play a huge role too. Parsons turned an internet urban legend into a chilling big-screen experience starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>Barker crafted a nightmarish romantic thriller that kept audiences coming back. And Hollywood has already taken notice: Barker has been handed the reins for a new remake of *The Texas Chainsaw Massacre*.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cpicture>\u003Csource srcset=\"https://cdn.quasa.io/photos/0001/image-2026-06-01t105346381.webp\" type=\"image/webp\">\u003Cimg alt=\"YouTube Directors Conquer the Big Screen: Two Horror Hits Show the Platform’s Power\" class=\"image-align-right\" height=\"201\" src=\"https://cdn.quasa.io/photos/0001/image-2026-06-01t105346381.jpg\" width=\"300\" />\u003C/picture>The message is unmistakable. In 2026, the biggest threat to traditional studio gatekeepers isn’t streaming giants or rival franchises — it’s a new generation of directors who already know how to speak directly to millions of fans. YouTube didn’t just give them a camera. It gave them an audience, a proving ground, and now, finally, the keys to the big screen.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>For aspiring filmmakers, the path forward has never been clearer: start building your audience online today. Because tomorrow, that audience might just fill theaters.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>Also read:\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cul>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://quasa.io/media/universal-music-group-rejects-bill-ackman-s-64-billion-takeover-bid-board-stands-firm-against-pershing-square\">Universal Music Group Rejects Bill Ackman’s $64 Billion Takeover Bid: Board Stands Firm Against Pershing Square\u003C/a>\u003C/li>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://quasa.io/media/marketers-choose-youtube-the-platform-has-become-the-leader-in-advertising-investment-growth\">Marketers Choose YouTube: The Platform Has Become the Leader in Advertising Investment Growth\u003C/a>\u003C/li>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://quasa.io/media/enough-with-the-walls-of-text-andrej-karpathy-s-simple-lifehack-just-ask-ai-for-html\">“Enough with the Walls of Text” — Andrej Karpathy’s Simple Lifehack: Just Ask AI for HTML\u003C/a>\u003C/li>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://quasa.io/media/tiktok-s-uk-gambit-a-masterclass-in-regulatory-taekwondo\">TikTok’s UK Gambit: A Masterclass in Regulatory Taekwondo\u003C/a>\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ul>\n\n\u003Cp>Thank you!\u003C/p>","youtube-directors-conquer-the-big-screen-two-horror-hits-show-the-platform-s-power","2026-06-01T08:56:39.000000Z","01.06.2026",{"image":81,"image_webp":82,"thumb":83,"thumb_webp":84},"https://cdn.quasa.io/images/news/VT9CBCI1f3zLBeUP2YnxR8GNsbgVYvycBKF1jq1D.jpg","https://cdn.quasa.io/images/news/VT9CBCI1f3zLBeUP2YnxR8GNsbgVYvycBKF1jq1D.webp","https://cdn.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/VT9CBCI1f3zLBeUP2YnxR8GNsbgVYvycBKF1jq1D.jpg","https://cdn.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/VT9CBCI1f3zLBeUP2YnxR8GNsbgVYvycBKF1jq1D.webp","small",null,12,0,"en",{"id":54,"title":55,"slug":56,"meta_title":91,"meta_description":92,"meta_keywords":93,"show_on_homepage":94,"deleted_at":86,"created_at":95,"updated_at":96,"lang":89},"YouTube AI Hacks: Viral Thumbnails, Avatars & Monetization | QUASA","Growth hacking articles on youtube","Marketing, Strategies, Tips, Business, Blog, YouTube",false,"2024-08-30T04:54:10.000000Z","2026-04-22T15:03:37.000000Z",[98,110,123,126,138],{"title":99,"description":100,"slug":101,"created_at":102,"publish_at":102,"formatted_created_at":79,"category":103,"links":104,"view_type":85,"video_url":86,"views":109,"likes":88,"lang":89,"comments_count":88,"is_pinned":94},"ECB’s Isabel Schnabel: Digital Euro Is Europe’s Answer to Dollar-Dominated Stablecoins","But the message from Frankfurt is unmistakable: Europe will not cede the future of money to private American stablecoins without a fight. The digital euro is no longer just an option — it is becoming Europe’s strategic response.","ecb-s-isabel-schnabel-digital-euro-is-europe-s-answer-to-dollar-dominated-stablecoins","2026-06-01T10:31:34.000000Z",{"title":35,"slug":36},{"image":105,"image_webp":106,"thumb":107,"thumb_webp":108},"https://cdn.quasa.io/images/news/CORpbLovO34UNHPDMw97KCmdcyU5uIC2CWgK0iDr.jpg","https://cdn.quasa.io/images/news/CORpbLovO34UNHPDMw97KCmdcyU5uIC2CWgK0iDr.webp","https://cdn.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/CORpbLovO34UNHPDMw97KCmdcyU5uIC2CWgK0iDr.jpg","https://cdn.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/CORpbLovO34UNHPDMw97KCmdcyU5uIC2CWgK0iDr.webp",4,{"title":111,"description":112,"slug":113,"created_at":114,"publish_at":115,"formatted_created_at":79,"category":116,"links":117,"view_type":85,"video_url":86,"views":122,"likes":88,"lang":89,"comments_count":88,"is_pinned":94},"Why Your Favorite Sales Funnels Are Dead: The End of AIDA and the Rise of Omnipresent Commerce","Today’s consumer doesn’t walk a straight path. 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