'Backrooms,' 'Obsession' give Hollywood a 'glimmer of hope,' says Mark Duplass

Following the success of Backrooms and Obsession at the box office, which are created by YouTubers, Mark Duplass, who stars as researcher Phil in Backrooms, praised the films for their performance at a time when the entertainment industry is facing challenges.

​Duplass expressed his hope that these films can bring a positive change to Hollywood, as he said in a video shared on X, "I just want to take a moment to celebrate the glimmer of hope that Obsession and Backrooms are bringing to our industry.

​“And I don’t want to overstate it. I know how complicated and dire things can be. But this is cool."

​He pointed to the growing accessibility of filmmaking technology and how online creators are finding new ways to reach audiences.

​“We now know we have the democratised access to technology. We’ve been wondering where to put these things because the distribution system is so fractured."

​Duplass also noted that both projects began with creators building audiences online before gaining wider attention.

​“But we’ve got an example of creators woodshedding things, putting them online, building an audience, and now the people with the purse strings are going to notice probably a little bit sooner because they see what they can do at the box office in the form of these two films that are over-performing.”

​It is pertinent to mention that Obsession, directed by YouTuber Curry Barker, was reportedly made on a $750,000 budget, while Backrooms, created by YouTuber Kane Parsons, has become a major success.

​Moreover, Duplass encouraged aspiring filmmakers to keep creating with the tools available to them.

​“We should be using the tools that we have available to us, our iPhones and Blender and swing the sword that’s in your hand, make your stuff and when it’s really good, start putting it out there. And there’s a path.”