Box-Office Shocks Push Hollywood Outside the Box

Owen Gleiberman argues that the surprise box-office success of independent horror Backrooms and the psychological thriller Obsession demonstrates audiences crave imaginative, boundary-pushing cinema. Hollywood should embrace more original storytelling and rethink theatrical windows, leveraging indie powerhouses like A24 and Focus Features to attract new audiences, rather than sticking to conventional tentpoles. The piece suggests these out-of-the-box hits signal a broader shift toward creative risk-taking in mainstream filmmaking.