Michael De Luca believes the success of Backrooms and Obsession at the global box office is no accident. Speaking at the Produced By conference, the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Co-Chair pointed to the unique relationship both films' creators have cultivated with audiences long before their movies reached theaters. The comments arrive as the two indie horror titles continue to dominate the holiday box office conversation.

What began as projects from YouTube creators Kane Parsons and Curry Barker has transformed into one of the most surprising theatrical success stories of the year, with both films outperforming expectations and proving that unconventional paths to filmmaking can still lead to mainstream success.

For De Luca, however, the secret may have less to do with luck and more to do with years of audience engagement.

During the Produced By panel, Michael De Luca praised both Kane Parsons and Curry Barker for developing their craft online before making the jump to feature filmmaking. According to the executive, creators who grow their projects alongside dedicated audiences enter the industry with an advantage many traditional filmmakers do not have.

"They hone their craft online. Kane worked on Backrooms for five years," De Luca noted, explaining that creators like Parsons and Barker are effectively in constant conversation with their viewers from the earliest stages of development. Because their subscribers respond to and influence the content over time, he argued that the creative process functions almost like an endless series of audience tests.

By the time these projects become feature films, De Luca suggested, the filmmakers already have a deep understanding of what resonates with their fan base. Rather than waiting for focus groups after production, they have spent years refining their work in front of a highly engaged audience.

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But the executive's comments also point toward a larger shift taking place in the horror genre.

The success of both films has become difficult to ignore. Backrooms is tracking toward the biggest opening weekend in A24 history, while Obsession has continued its remarkable theatrical run and is on course to become Focus Features' highest-grossing domestic release.

What makes those achievements particularly noteworthy is that neither film relies on established blockbuster franchises. Instead, both projects emerged from creators with strong online followings and distinctive creative voices. Their rise has challenged assumptions about how audiences discover films and what kinds of stories can thrive in theaters.

For Michael De Luca, there is still no guaranteed formula for box office success. Yet the momentum behind Backrooms and Obsession suggests that younger filmmakers who build communities online may be reshaping the path from internet creator to theatrical powerhouse.

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Do you think creator-led films like Backrooms and Obsession represent the future of indie horror, or are they the exception rather than the rule? Let us know in the comments.