A24's horror debut "Backrooms," directed by 20-year-old YouTuber-turned-filmmaker Kane Parsons, has overtaken Focus Features' "Obsession" as the most-watched film on the US iTunes chart, despite trailing it at the box office. The rivalry highlights how two YouTuber-turned-directors' feature debuts have dominated 2026's horror releases and even outperformed major studio titles such as "The Mandalorian and Grogu" at the cinema.

"Obsession," directed by Curry Barker and led by an award-buzzed performance from Inde Navarrette, has grossed nearly $450 million, making it the highest-grossing original horror film of the century and the only genre film to remain in the US top ten for over 40 days. "Backrooms" earned a still-substantial $384 million theatrically, and Parsons became the youngest director ever to top the North American box office chart, but it has now claimed the lead on streaming, sitting above "Obsession" on the iTunes charts.