At long last, Hollywood is wising up to the fact that there are some pretty stellar filmmakers on YouTube.
Curry Barker’s horror-comedy “Obsession” broke a box office record on Monday, becoming the highest-grossing film ever acquired at a film festival. The movie from Focus Features has made $224 million globally and counting. Kane Parsons’ “Backrooms” has generated $212 million at the box office despite being released two weeks after “Obsession” and stands as the highest-grossing film in the history of A24. The indie animation studio Glitch’s “The Amazing Digital Circus” finale also broke a presale record for Fathom Entertainment.
Even without the support of major studios, creator-led projects are still excelling. Mark Fischbach’s, aka Markiplier, “Iron Lung” grossed over $50 million worldwide while being independently distributed by Markiplier Studios.
This trend comes as ’80s nostalgia bait like this past weekend’s “Masters of the Universe” and even massive franchises like Star Wars have hit a wall at the box office with Gen Z (and beyond). With younger audiences increasingly dictating the winners and losers of the box office, Hollywood may start looking to these creators as a way to tap into that audience.
This isn’t to say that every creator-led movie is a certified hit. Both “Ryan’s World the Movie: Titan Universe Adventure” and “Dude Perfect: The Hero Tour” bombed, while Kris Collins’, aka Kallmekris, “House of Eden”and Chris Stuckmann’s “Shelby Oaks” underperformed in theaters last year.
But the one-two punch of “Obsession” and “Backrooms” is enough to set Hollywood abuzz with questions about who can be the next massive creator talent. The future is impossible to predict, but there are some promising names from both YouTube and TikTok.
Baron Ryan
Baron Ryan (2.9 million TikTok followers) is one of the most distinct creators around with a style that’s dreamy and introspective with an undercurrent of anxiety. And — unlike the other creators on this list — he’s already released a successful theatrical film. Produced by Creator Camp, “Two Sleepy People” was made in 100 days for around $100,000.
Rather than distributing with any traditional studios, Creator Camp launched a guerilla distribution campaign, asking Ryan’s fans to pledge they will go to see “Two Sleepy People” and taking those results to theater chains to ask for showings. It’s an out-of-the-box idea that worked. “Two Sleepy People” has made back more than four times its budget, last month sold its distribution rights in Europe and has a 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. If Ryan can do all that with an indie company, imagine what he can do with the backing of a company like A24 or Neon.
Druski
With over 13 million followers on TikTok and over 12 million on Instagram, Druski is one of the biggest creators in the game. But a satirical mega church video the comedian posted in January proves that Druski has the chops to make something more ambitious than his typical skits.
@druski Mega Church Pastors LOVE Money 😂😂😂😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 #druski #megachurch #church #skit #funny ♬ original sound – DRUSKI
Suspended above a congregation as he’s blasted by fog machines, the skit smartly cuts between POVs, showing someone filming this pastor (played by Druski) on his phone and cinematic shots of the congregation clapping and praising him. The two-minute video would feel at home on “The Righteous Gemstones,” so it’s not wild to think this well-developed character could lead his own comedy. Druski is also already set to star in “Livestream From Hell,” an upcoming horror-comedy starring Kai Cenat and Kevin Hart.
Evillica
Out of everyone on this list, Evillica is the biggest longshot with over 310,000 followers on TikTok. Yet no one else has a style that can compare to hers. Most installments of her surrealist horror series feature a wide-mouthed demon lurking right behind Evillica as she goes about her day.
@evillica Trying to study for an exam, but getting distracted a little too easily #BlockBlast #blockblastpartner #creatorsearchinsights #weirdcore #analoghorror ♬ original sound – evillica
There’s a dreamlike logic to her worlds, which are reminiscent of both point-and-click computer games from the ‘90s and a child’s nightmares. And that bizarre combination is exactly why she’s on this list. Much like Parsons, Evillica’s work is always distinct and unnerving, cleverly blending spooky elements from outdated technology with social media.
Grace Reiter
It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that one of the funniest videos last year came from Grace Reiter (3.9 million TikTok followers), one of the members of the sketch comedy group American High as well as an actor from Tim Robinson’s “The Chair Company.” In “The Hunger Games (but better),” Reiter and her friends recreated the movies based on Suzanne Collins’ books from memory. The video, which has been watched more than 12 million times, is as chaotic as it is funny, demonstrating Reiter’s knack for always knowing when to pull away at just the right time to score the biggest laugh. Reiter’s fellow American High cast members Julia DiCesare, Hyde Healy, Luke Burke, Aidan Micho and Ryan Micho also starred in and helped create the movie.
As The Lonely Island and Please Don’t Destroy prove, there’s a history of sketch groups finding a bigger market for themselves outside of YouTube. And now is an especially strong time for parody comedy as “Scary Movie” opened to $55 million at the box office this past weekend. American High also has a deal with Netflix to bring the group’s series “Minimum Wage” to the streamer.
Kinigra Deon
At first glance, Deon’s work looks like it may be more geared for TV than theaters. But that assessment misses how much of a machine Deon is when it comes to producing consistently entertaining scripted shows and movies. Typically, Deon and her team release three new episodes on YouTube every week. Though most of those projects take place in high school, they feature different characters, stories and worlds. That’s a staggering pace.
Now imagine if Deon was given the time, resources and support that come with developing and producing a theatrical movie. She could become a real theatrical behemoth, like a Gen Z John Hughes. Deon is already taking the leap toward making more feature-length movies. Earlier this year, she released her horror movie “Sundown” for Tubi, which was produced by Hartbeat.
Reece Feldman
Though no company will say who they’re backing, it’s clear that TikTok and Meta think that Reece Feldman has what it takes to be the next big voice in Hollywood. Feldman premiered his comedy thriller short “Wait, Your Car?” at the Cannes Film Festival last year as part of a partnership with TikTok. He then returned to the festival this year to cover major premieres and red carpets using Meta glasses as part of a partnership with the company.
Feldman is mostly known for his interview content, which sees him breaking down the filmmaking of everyone from Steven Spielberg to the cast of “Percy Jackson & the Olympians.” But considering how well-connected and liked Feldman is in both Hollywood and social media, if he decides to make more original content, he has the inroads.
Sam Evenson
There’s a fine line between creators and talented filmmakers who occasionally post their shorts on YouTube, like “Portrait of God” director Dylan Clark. Sam Evenson leans more toward the latter end of that spectrum. Though he has credits on “Dune: Part Two” and “The Last of Us,” his YouTube channel Grimoire Horror racks up millions of views whenever he occasionally posts new videos.
His best known short, a horror installment titled “Ignore It,” has been viewed on YouTube more than 12 million times. Neon has already teamed up with Evenson to turn one of his viral shorts “Mora,” which has been viewed more than 4.6 million times, into a feature film.
Seán William McLoughlin
Though he’s not a director, it would be wise to keep an eye on Seán William McLoughlin, aka Jacksepticeye. The YouTuber known for his video game breakdowns is a diehard fan of “Bloodborne,” FromSoftware’s critically lauded Gothic role playing game, and is attached to produce an animated “Bloodborne” movie alongside Sony Pictures. PlayStation Productions and Lyrical Animation will also co-produce the movie.
It’s tough to say just how big this movie may be. On one hand, an R-rated animated project is a hard sell for any studio or theater. On the other hand, “Bloodborne” has a dedicated fan base, and the success of “The Amazing Digital Circus” and “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba The Movie: Infinity Castle” proves there’s an audience for these more mature projects with an existing following. If “Bloodborne” truly does become the next big video game IP, then McLoughlin may very well become a major name in Hollywood.
WeMadeItTogether
The central premise of WeMadeItTogether’s work feels like it would be better suited to a TV show. However, “What We Do in the Shadows” — the spiritual predecessor to this horror comedy — started as a movie and ended as a six-season show, so the movie route is definitely an option.
With a shorter title, “When Your House Is Haunted but Rent Is Cheap” could see similar success. Each episode of WeMadeItTogether’s page follows a happy-go-lucky roommate known only as Guy as he walks the cameraperson through his clearly haunted house. With over 1.1 million followers on TikTok, the account’s creator is already toying with the idea of turning his project into either a movie or a longer show.
