This weekend will go down in box office history.
Movie theaters across the country were packed with Gen Zers who flocked to see not one, but two acclaimed horror films. A24's "Behind the Scenes" grossed a staggering $81 million from 3,442 theaters in North America during its opening weekend. Meanwhile, ticket sales for Focus Features' breakout film "Obsession"« again jumped in their third week of release, grossing $26.4 million from 2,781 theaters—and surpassing the $100 million mark in the U.S. Both films were directed by YouTube stars and cost virtually nothing to produce, defying conventional wisdom about the ingredients necessary for a hit.
More from Variety
-
The shocking success of Behind the Scenes and Whiplash should serve as a reminder to Hollywood: you need to think outside the box.
-
Jason Blum and James Wan opened the conference by comparing the low-budget horror film boom to the "provocative films" of the '70s.
-
Box office: "Behind the Scenes" grossed $38 million on Friday, already breaking the record for the biggest opening weekend for A24.
The dominance of original films at the box office is particularly striking at the start of the summer movie season, a period typically dominated by major franchises. However, Disney's Star Wars spinoff, The Mandalorian and Grogu, suffered a disastrous 70% drop in its second weekend, suggesting the franchise isn't targeting an aging core fan base. It finished third on the weekend charts, behind Behind the Scenes and Whiplash.
«"Blumhouse-Atomic Monster movies are #1 and #2 domestically this weekend, and both were made for next to nothing. Theaters are packed," tweeted Jason Blum, who produced both films through his company, Blumhouse-Atomic Monster. "What a great time to be making horror movies!"»
The film "Backstage," directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons, has grossed $118 million worldwide to date. The psychological thriller has surpassed all projections, with preliminary estimates predicting a U.S. debut of $40 to $50 million. With a production budget of approximately $10 million, it's already one of the year's most profitable films.
Behind the Scenes also set several box office records: it posted the biggest opening weekend in A24 history, breaking the record set by Alex Garland's 2024 thriller Civil War, which grossed $25.5 million. It also took the top spot among original horror films and became the best opening for a debut director outside of a franchise. Parsons is the youngest director to ever have a film open at number one at the box office. That record previously belonged to Josh Trank, who was 27 when his 2012 film Chronicle opened at number one with $22 million.
Based on Parsons' popular web series, "Behind the Scenes" follows a psychotherapist's patient who shares his discovery of a dimension beyond reality. When the patient (Chiwetel Ejiofor) disappears, his therapist (Renate Reinswe) ventures into the unknown to save him. According to PostTrak, nearly 85% viewers were under 35, and over 50% were under 25.
Parsons and Barker are part of a wave of YouTubers who have transferred their talents to the big screen, captivating a huge young audience. Earlier this year, YouTube content creator Mark Fishback directed, self-financed, and self-distributed the horror film Iron Lungs, which grossed an impressive $50 million against a $3 million budget.
What's even more impressive is that "Behind the Scenes" and "Obsession" aren't competing with each other at the box office. In fact, "Obsession" is up $101 million compared to the previous weekend, which already posted an impressive $391 million increase thanks to its solid $17 million debut. According to Focus, this is the first film since 1982 to see ticket sales grow in its second and third weekends outside of the holiday season. After three weekends, "Obsession" has grossed $106 million domestically and $148 million worldwide, against a budget of just $1 million. It's Focus's highest-grossing film in the US, surpassing 2019's "Downton Abbey," which grossed $96.8 million in North America.
While "Behind the Scenes" and "Whiplash" garnered the lion's share of attention, "The Mandalorian & Grogu" fell to third place, grossing just $25 million from 4,300 theaters in its second run. This disastrous drop suggests that the Force hasn't remained strong in the franchise's seven-year absence from the big screen, even though company insiders understood that "The Mandalorian & Grogu" could pose a serious challenge as a Disney+ sequel. To date, the film has grossed $137.4 million domestically and $246.6 million worldwide. In the eyes of filmmakers, it proved profitable, knowing that Disney could have released "The Mandalorian & Grogu" directly on its streaming service. For the studio, which produced the $165 million space opera spinoff, theaters represent another source of revenue before the film's Disney+ release—not to mention sales of Grogu toys.
While much of the attention was focused on Behind the Scenes and Obsession, two other new releases—Sony's PG-rated family comedy The Baker and Focus Features' war drama Pressure—failed to live up to expectations.
The Breadwinner rounded out the top five at the North American box office, grossing $7.5 million from 2,352 theaters. It was second only to Lionsgate's musical biopic Michael, now in its sixth weekend. In The Breadwinner, Nate Bargatze, one of the world's most popular touring comedians, plays a husband who agrees to become a stay-at-home dad when his wife gets a proposal on Shark Tank. Audiences far outperformed critics, as evidenced by an "A-" CinemaScore and a 28% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was produced by Sony for $25 million.
"Drops" debuted at No. 7, grossing $5.4 million from 1,829 theaters. Although the World War II drama was marketed as an alternative to family blockbusters and horror hits, older audiences showed little desire to leave the house. Ticket buyers seemed pleased, giving the film an "A" CinemaScore. Brendan Fraser plays Dwight D. Eisenhower in "Drops," which takes place during the tense 72 hours leading up to the Normandy landings.
Michael, which has demonstrated exceptional resilience throughout its theatrical run since April, grossed $12.6 million over the weekend. To date, the Michael Jackson biopic has earned $339.8 million in North America and a remarkable $845 million worldwide. It is on track to surpass 2018's Bohemian Rhapsody ($911 million) and become the highest-grossing music biopic of all time.
To be continued…
Subscribe to the Variety newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.