Indie Films Dominate the Summer Box Office

This summer brought a host of record-breaking films to the Hollywood industry, with moviegoers flocking to theaters to claim a feast for their eyes. Whether indie-horror, action, or adventure, everyone has been enraptured by these new pieces of cinema. Despite a limited budget, the Obsession and Backrooms double feature took the tabloids by storm with their notable financial success and popularity.

Previously achieved by Bruce Lee’s classic Enter the Dragon (1973) over 50 years later, Curry Barker’s Obsession became the second-highest grossing sub-million-dollar movie. This new horror was made on a $750,000 budget and has gathered over 500 million dollars this summer. During the second week of airing in theaters, Obsession had earned 23.9 million dollars, later beating out Steven Spielberg's E.T. The Extraterrestrial (1982) by growing exponentially in the weeks after.

Despite Obsession's success, the movie Backrooms is not to be discounted. As it isn’t a sequel or an existing franchise, critics count it as the highest grossing original horror debut. In addition, the director Kane Parsons became the youngest filmmaker to top the global box office at 20 years old.

These cinematic breakthroughs prove that anything can happen and that success could be on the horizon. Barker and Parsons, who are indie filmmakers, are currently decorated with their hard-earned but unforeseen successes. In an interview with Associated Press, Barker said, “It was just like: Holy cow. I didn’t think that was an option.” Both directors plan to continue in the film industry: Parsons has signed for Backrooms 2, and Barker plans to delve into more horror movies.