The theatrical model is dead. Long live theaters!
Yes, the rise of A.I., YouTube, video games, and more suggested people would bail on old-fashioned movie going. It didn't help that Hollywood cranked out a parade of tired retreads, desperate sequels, and woke re-imaginings.
This year has offered a glimmer of hope. More than a glimmer, really.
Look at video game movies like "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" and "Mortal Kombat II." Both drew big crowds this year, suggesting Gen Z wants to see their favorite games on the big screen. Remember that Chicken Jockey meme from last year's smash hit "A Minecraft Movie?"
Warner Bros. co-bosses Pamela Abdy and Michael De Luca apologized to theater owners for the mess A Minecraft Movie's Chicken Jockey made.
— IGN (@IGN) April 15, 2026
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"Project Hail Mary" reminded us how good it feels to watch a deeply human, uplifting story at the cineplex.
Now, it's low-budget horror films that are causing a stir in movie theaters. Or, more accurately, a sensation.
"Obsession," a movie made for less than $1 million, keeps over-performing in theaters. It earned $17 million in its opening frame, then $31 million in its second weekend of release. It's already made $73 million ... and growing.
That just doesn't happen. But it did. And the film isn't slowing down. It's already lapped "The Mandalorian and Grogu" on the box office charts.
Both films will take a back seat to "Backrooms" this weekend.
The film marks the directorial debut of 20-year-old Kane Parsons. Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as a furniture store owner who discovers a secret series of rooms in his showroom. It's a slow build of tension and terror as he uncovers what's lurking within those hidden corridors.
Deadline.com says the movie could make anywhere from $65 to 80 million this weekend after earning $10 million in Thursday previews. The film's price tag? A mere $10 million.
How are these numbers possible? Deadline.com tracks how Parsons built up a following by exploring themes lurking within this raw horror experiment.
[Parsons] first launched the early iteration of Backrooms on 4chan which then spread on Reddit when was 16. The IP morphed into Roblox and Minecraft games and was then transformed into a found-footage YouTube series created via Blender and Unreal Engine, which amassed north of 190 million views.
The film's shocking success was no accident. The seeds were planted all along, and audiences have been sampling versions of "Backrooms" over digital platforms.
Curry Barker, the director of "Obsession," similarly trained on YouTube and produced the viral hit "MIlk & Serial" to grab our attention.
If Hollywood isn't paying attention, it should be.
Meanwhile, the aging "Star Wars" franchise poured all its synergy into "The Mandalorian and Grogu." The film extends a franchise that briefly caught fire on Disney+ before fizzling out.
The results? The film couldn't crack the $100 million mark in its opening weekend, and it's expected to fall roughly 68 percent this week. Chances are, it'll trail both "Obsession" and "Backrooms" this weekend.
The old Hollywood model may be dying, but a new version is springing up to replace it.
