While 2025 was a great year of horror, the genre is really experiencing a real jolt this year, thanks to two low-budget horror flicks taking the box office by storm. Curry Barker's Obsession and Kane Parsons' Backrooms are leaving lasting impressions on audiences, which went 1 & 2 in ticket sales last weekend. Plenty of critics and general audiences have offered up praise for the movies. Now, Steven Spielberg is weighing in on the two 2026 movie schedule entries as his own major release, Disclosure Day, nears its theatrical release.
There are more than a few reasons to marvel at the success of both Obsession and Backrooms, which have both earned more than $100 million worldwide, as of this writing. What's particularly impressive, though, is that the box office records milestones have been achieved by directors who are former YouTubers. As Steven Spielberg promoted Disclosure Day, Pop Drop asked him about impressed he was at the feats accomplished by the recently released horror films:
I’m so happy for them. I think it’s so fantastic, and I think it’s great that they had basically, very little money. Especially Obsession had under $1 million, and the other film had maybe 10 or nine, and they’re doing so well, and I just applaud them. I haven’t seen Backrooms. I am going to see it when all this is over. But I have seen Obsession, and I loved it.
Steven Spielberg's praise for the two psychological horror movies is making me want to get tickets now for both. I’d like to believe the Oscar-winning director can relate to Barker and Parsons' situation. As the interviewer suggested, Spielberg was quite young when he found commercial success. The iconic filmmaker was only in his late 20s when Jaws opened in 1975 and hit big at the box office. So Spielberg would truly understand better than others what the two up-and-coming directors are going through.
Obsession only had a reportedly production budget of $750,000 and Backrooms’ budget was $10 million. Backrooms saw a particularly big box office win during its debut, as it opened with $81.5 million domestically and a worldwide haul of $118 million, marking A24’s biggest opening. And, at only 20 years old, Parsons became the youngest director to have a #1 film in the U.S. As of this writing, it's earned over $177 million worldwide.
Meanwhile, Obsession with $17.2 million domestically in third place amid its opening, but it still managed to more than stay afloat in the subsequent weeks. It's now earned $178 million worldwide.
Of course, Spielberg’s Disclosure Day has a bigger budget, and it's also expected to make a splash this summer. With over-the-top reactions already praising the sci-fi flick weeks before its release, Box Office Theory already predicts Spielberg’s latest flick will have a domestic opening between $45 million and $59 million. Any sum in that range would mark the director's biggest opening release since 2018's Ready Player One opened at $41.7.
All in all, what's wonderful about this summer movie season thus far is that the ecosystem is allowing for movies that range in terms of size. While it'll be great to see Spielberg deliver another tentpole film, it's wonderful that Barker and Parsons' smaller films are also making some noise. I also love that Spielberg took some time to show love to his fellow directors, and I hope he shares his thoughts on Backrooms soon.
Dare to see Backrooms and Obsession, which are playing in theaters now. Also, check Disclosure Day when it hits theaters on June 12th.
