But in 2026, something has shifted. In January, YouTuber Markiplier self-released his adaptation of the video game Iron Lung<\/a> to theaters, and it outgrossed any number of big-studio titles. Then Curry Barker<\/a>, whose comedy sketches have been a YouTube fixture, unveiled his feature debut Obsession<\/a>. The film, made for under a million dollars, has become the box office phenomenon of the summer<\/a> so far, managing a virtually unheard-of feat when its second and third weekends actually outgrossed its first. Obsession is sharing multiplex space with Backrooms<\/a>, directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons<\/a>, who previously brought the spooky internet meme to life in a series of YouTube shorts. Despite being set in a series of purgatorial, sparsely furnished, fluorescent-lit \u201climinal spaces\u201d, it was the top movie at the North American box office<\/a> this weekend, poised to become the biggest-grossing movie from distributor A24 in a matter of days. Backrooms also opened to bigger numbers than any number of starrier or bigger-brand 2026 titles like Wuthering Heights, Scream 7, The Devil Wears Prada 2 or the last Pixar movie. That makes three YouTube-trained film-makers who have presided over some of this year\u2019s biggest and\/or most surprising hits. With them have come countless social media posts about how YouTube, not film school, provides the real training tomorrow\u2019s directors need.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/1ea005c4ca16c139ba85e5ab715fa74e1faf8533\/1851_476_5682_4546\/master\/5682.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a5ed2051a4628263a58076f9e5adf2f4\" "\\"To")
<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"