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Indie Film

All articles tagged with #indie film

entertainment28 days ago•72 min saved

Gen Z Turns Tiny Horror Into Theatrical Gold

Two ultra-budget Gen Z-driven horror films, Obsession and Backrooms, have upended Hollywood norms: Obsession grossed hundreds of millions on a sub-$1 million budget, while Backrooms became a record-breaking A24 release in 10 days, proving young audiences will turn out when films feel like events created outside the big studio system. The movies leverage online discourse, creator origins on YouTube, and meme-driven engagement to fuel theater-going, signaling Hollywood may need a new playbook that favors low-cost, creator-driven projects that resonate with Gen Z.

via The New York Times|

#a24 #box-office #entertainment

entertainment-movies1 month ago•19 min saved

Gen-Z Horror Rising: Are Backrooms and Obsession Fueling a New Wave

Two modest-budget horror films by under-30 filmmakers—Backrooms (A24) and Obsession (Focus Features)—are delivering outsized box-office results and fueling a debate about whether we’re witnessing a Gen-Z horror renaissance or a passing trend, driven by online fanbases and creator-led pipelines that bypass traditional IP-heavy blockbusters, with figures like Kane Parsons and Curry Barker helping push the conversation.

via Rolling Stone|

#box-office #entertainment-movies #gen-z

film1 month ago•15 min saved

Viral YouTube Short Open Door Set for Feature Film in Six-Figure Deal

The viral YouTube short Open Door, created by Kevin Cate and The Workmans, is being developed into a feature film under a six-figure development deal. Cate will co-write the screenplay with IO’s Charles Spano, with Sean Anthony Baker and Mia Matthews set to reprise their roles. The project is in development with Clinging Vine Films and executive producer Rick Kearney, and directors Dylan Clark and Sam Evenson are tapped to helm future installments. The original three-minute short, which follows a surreal elevator ride from hell, has drawn tens of millions of views across YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram, reflecting the industry’s push to turn successful online content creators into feature films.

via Variety|

#film #film-adaptation #indie-film

entertainment-box-office1 month ago•3 min saved

Indie Horror Obsession Defies Odds with Strong Day-25 Box Office

Curry Barker’s indie horror Obsession notches about $4.2 million on its 25th domestic day, topping the day-25 grosses of Force Awakens and Endgame, while pushing its total to just over $156 million—an impressive, rare sustained run for a Focus Features release that outpaces several newer titles.

via TheWrap|

#box-office #entertainment-box-office #focus-features

business1 month ago•17 min saved

Backrooms Pushes A24 Past $200M Worldwide, Heralding a New Era

A24’s breakout horror Backrooms has surpassed $200 million worldwide, reaching $213 million in its second weekend and marking the studio’s first $200M title. The performance signals a shift for A24 toward bigger-budget, IP-driven projects (with talk of an Elden Ring adaptation) while still pursuing distinctive, countercultural cinema.

via IndieWire|

#a24 #backrooms #box-office

entertainment1 month ago•4 min saved

Indie Horror’s $7K Pay Sparks Reform Call as Obsession Nears $175M

Art director Sally Choi revealed she earned about $7,000 total (roughly $300/day) for the indie horror Obsession, a film made for $750k that’s now approaching $175M worldwide, and urged industry reform highlighting low pay and crew concerns; reactions online were mixed and the production’s representatives did not immediately comment.

via TheWrap|

#art-director #entertainment #focus-features

entertainment1 month ago•19 min saved

From YouTube Fame to Theaters: The Next Wave of Horror Directors

The Hollywood Reporter spotlights a new crop of horror directors who built audiences on YouTube and social media and are now breaking into feature films, with Obsession and Backrooms surpassing $100 million domestically and others like the Philippou brothers and David Sandberg paving the way. The piece flags rising talents such as Dylan Clark (Portrait of God, attached to a Blair Witch reboot), Nicolas Curcio (Play House), Sam Evenson (Mora at Neon), Spencer Lackey, Caleb Phillips (Imposters), and Heidi Wong as the next potential box‑office draws, as studios continue to chase low-budget, high-concept horror and the YouTube-to-Hollywood pipeline grows.

via The Hollywood Reporter|

#box-office #entertainment #film-industry

box-office1 month ago•16 min saved

Indie Box Office Heats Up as Pressure Debuts and Tuner Expands

Deadline notes a strong indie weekend led by two unexpected indie horror hits at the global box office, with Backrooms and Obsession atop domestic numbers, while traditional indies push forward: Focus Features/StudioCanal’s WWII drama Pressure opened to $5.75 million on 1,829 screens, and Black Bear’s Tuner expanded in its second weekend to 452 theaters for about $1.7 million for a $1.8 million cumulative. Limited releases included Power Ballad and Time and Water, plus ongoing Met Live screenings and other small titles.

via Deadline|

#box-office #indie-film #pressure

business1 month ago•4 min saved

Teen-Driven Horror Backrooms Smashes A24 Box-Office Records

A24’s Backrooms, a $10M horror film directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons, earned $82M in North America over opening weekend with about 86% of the audience under 35 (44% under 21), making it the studio’s biggest debut in 14 years and the youngest director to top the box office. Internationally it added $36.5M; the success—alongside other Gen Z-driven hits like Obsession—highlights that young moviegoers will still flock to theaters for the right indie offerings.

via The New York Times|

#a24 #box-office #business

entertainment1 month ago•6 min saved

YouTube Auteurs Flip the Script on Hollywood’s Budget Cinema

Young YouTube creators like Curry Barker and Kane Parsons are proving that micro-budget features can dominate the box office, with Barker’s Obsession and Parsons’ Backrooms drawing strong theater performance and studio interest. The trend has studios signing these self-made filmmakers and rethinking talent pipelines, arguing that DIY film schooling and online fan communities translate into cinematic success. Critics are divided, but the potential for big openings on lean budgets—alongside other YouTubers turning to feature films—signals a shifting landscape for how Hollywood sources talent and money.

via Page Six|

#box-office #entertainment #film-industry

entertainment1 month ago•3 min saved

YouTuber-helmed indie horror Obsession defies odds with global box-office surge

Indie horror Obsession, shot for $750,000 in 20 days by Curry Barker, is projected to gross about $79.7 million globally in its second weekend (roughly $58.5 million in North America), a rare growth for the genre praised by Jason Blum. The TIFF debut spurred a bidding war and Focus Features acquired the project, highlighting how YouTube creators are reshaping Hollywood and expanding Barker’s slate with future projects like a Texas Chain Saw Massacre remake.

via NBC News|

#box-office #curry-barker #entertainment

business1 month ago•19 min saved

Cannes 2026: Indie Deals Rewire Finance and Distribution

At Cannes 2026, a handful of high-profile sales (A24’s eight-figure world rights for Club Kid and Amazon’s eight-figure package for Pumping Black) contrasted with a broader slow market, underscoring a shift away from the traditional pay-one window. Independent distributors are increasingly relying on equity financing, niche audiences, and direct-to-fan approaches—exemplified by Watermelon Pictures and Angel Studios—while re-releases (like Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devils) hint at a blended theatrical future. In short, dealmaking has not vanished but is being reinvented around community-driven distribution and new revenue paths, with much of the market activity likely to close after Cannes as buyers digest risk and value.

via The Hollywood Reporter|

#audience-engagement #business #cannes

movies1 month ago•1 min saved

Tycoon sketches a paranoid LA ruled by a protein cartel

Charlotte Zhang’s Tycoon imagines a 2028 Los Angeles under a meat ban, with a monopolistic insect-protein megacorp (Ootheca Inc.) controlling supply; through a vivid DIY visual language, it follows two hustlers as they navigate surveillance, precarity, and small-time crimes, turning political dread into a human-scale survival tale.

via The Guardian|

#dystopia #indie-film #insect-protein

arts-and-culture2 months ago•5 min saved

Obsession: A stylish, viciously funny warning about getting what you wish for

Curry Barker's Obsession turns a simple unrequited crush into a darkly comic horror tale, using a magical trinket to grant wishes with gruesome consequences. Inde Navarrette delivers a standout, unsettling performance as Nikki, while the film's lean production, sharp sound design, and sly humor elevate it above many studio efforts. It's a stylish indie debut that doubles as a cautionary tale about what happens when desire runs unchecked and lore is kept minimal.

via WBUR|

#arts-and-culture #film-review #horror

entertainment2 months ago•21 min saved

Hollywood Retreat at Cannes 2026 Signals Market Shift Toward Indies and Deals

Cannes 2026 shows far fewer Hollywood blockbusters on display as studios delay finished films and rethink spending on releases that won’t hit theaters soon. The festival remains a key market for acquisitions, with indie and genre projects drawing interest from buyers, while consolidation and a mixed box-office recovery reshape deal-making and the prospects for a true Hollywood comeback.

via variety.com|

#box-office #cannes #entertainment