Blum, Wan spotlight $750k 'Obsession' and 'Backrooms'
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- Jason Blum opened the Produced By conference, declaring a strong post‑COVID rebound for the film business.
- James Wan said horror “keeps saving our industry” and likened the current wave to the ’70s.
- Obsession – a $750,000‑budget film – became the highest‑grossing domestic release for Universal’s Focus Features label and saw a 20% box‑office increase this weekend (30% the previous weekend).
- Backrooms – described by Blum as “the strangest movie ever” – is positioned as a potentially record‑breaking original horror opening.
- Kane Parsons, a TikTok‑grown director, and fellow creator Curry Barker illustrate how Gen Z talent moves from online shorts to theatrical releases.
- Shawn Levy is an executive producer on “Backrooms,” indicating competition among studios to sign young talent.
- Blumhouse‑Atomic Monster emphasized that producing now focuses on converting social‑media‑born talent into theatrical movies, a shift from its role 20 years ago.
Why it matters: The success of $750k ‘Obsession’ and buzz around ‘Backrooms’ shows that low‑budget horror can drive box‑office growth, rewarding studios that tap Gen Z creators while pressuring traditional high‑budget models that have struggled post‑COVID. It also validates the Producers Guild’s push for theatrical releases, giving distributors a clearer path to profitability.
