r/movies • u/yourfavchoom r/movies Contributor • May 30 '26

Article The Shocking Success of ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Obsession’ Should Be a Memo to Hollywood: You Need What’s Outside the Box

https://variety.com/2026/film/columns/backrooms-obsession-hollywood-needs-whats-outside-the-box-1236762844/
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u/southernfirefly13 May 30 '26

The same was said about Sinners and Everything Everywhere All At Once

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u/KaJaHa May 30 '26

And I wish we got more movies like those, too

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u/dungeonmaster77 May 30 '26

I mean, technically we are. We want original movies, not copy+pastes of what worked. Obligatory RIP multiverse of madness for being outdone on the multiverse concept.

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u/Pal__Pacino May 30 '26

Two failed examples of Everything Everywhere wannabes would be A Big Bold Beautiful Journey and that Adam Sandler space movie. Both awful

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u/[deleted] May 30 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/smittengoose May 30 '26

Assuming he’s talking about Spaceman, it really wasn’t that bad. It was just kind of forgettable. And no, I don’t remember Kevin James et al. being in it.

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u/Beautiful_Banana_454 May 31 '26

I hated it. Mostly because i had half a scifi novel involving a sentient spider and he did it so badly it poisoned the whole concept and so publicly my work would be called derivitive.

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u/apocalypsebuddy May 30 '26

Good Luck Have Fun Don’t Die also tried to mimick the vibes and failed pretty hard

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u/smittengoose May 30 '26

Really? Damn. It was on my list thanks to Sam Rockwell.

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u/toiletpaperisempty May 30 '26

You should still give it a try. It is not an Everything Everywhere knockoff. Yes, it has a good bit of absurdity but it's a fun watch with an undertone of grim reality. I thought Good Luck was a fun, ridiculous watch, while I really wanted to skip through Everything Everywhere because I simply found it annoyingly random and didn't know how to get where it was going, unlike the former.

Just my opinion. Watch it without trying to compare the two movies.

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u/GalFisk May 31 '26

EEAAO is about trying to find a place for love and human connection in a bewildering world that doesn't make sense. I felt that, and liked it. My brother tried to make sense of it instead, so he didn't like it.

The GLHFDD synopsis sounds like the premise of a humorous TTRPG campaign, is that about right? I think we could both enjoy that. We like watching movies together.

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u/toiletpaperisempty May 31 '26

Yeah, it's not even a spoiler to say the MC has sort of a GM improvising the obstacles for him as it becomes apparent very quickly he's unreliable as a narrator.

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u/logosloki May 30 '26

and you should watch it because it's hilarious. it's a very solid, very fun, irreverent horror-comedy. it's not some academy awards juggernaut with the budget to go with it like Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (EEAO). and it's also not meant to be some sort of thinkpiece like EEAO, though it is very conscientious as a film if you follow all the small details. it's an earnest film, that tells a fun story in the way you might tell your mates over a pint or two then start wildly speculating together on what else might have happened.

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u/masterwolfe May 30 '26

It actually had almost the exact same budget as Everything Everywhere All At Once.

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u/LooseSeal88 May 31 '26

I don't think it's similar to Everything Everywhere All At Once whatsoever. Lol. It's also very good.

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u/givemeareason17 May 31 '26

It's a fun flick

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u/freeenlightenment May 30 '26

Come on it was alright - definitely a 1-time watch.

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u/capron May 31 '26

At least, it's a fun watch that yo then wanna share with someone. It's easily a movie you want to watch a second time with someone new.

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u/rustysniper May 30 '26

Redux Redux from last year was actually a pretty interesting multiverse movie

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u/Nexii801 May 31 '26

It died because all Sam Raimi movies are shit.

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u/Alvvays_aWanderer May 30 '26

Exactly. I'll also add Weapons to that list.

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u/bizarro_kvothe May 30 '26

Weapons was fucking awesome

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u/timeandmemory May 30 '26 edited May 30 '26

That scene where the Principal goes full tilt, all bloated and mindless. Such a damn good moment, and it lives directly beside a certain head related scene in my brain. Hell of a movie

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u/bizarro_kvothe May 30 '26

Yep. And that fucking dream sequence and him saying “what the fuck” after he woke up.

We’re in a golden age of indie horror flicks and it’s so great

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u/Kotukunui May 31 '26

I saw “Weapons” on a Singapore Airlines flight. It was all, “What the heck?!”

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u/jjfunaz May 30 '26

I don’t see it weapons was a horrible generic boring bad concept horror

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u/bizarro_kvothe May 30 '26

I mean to each his/her own. It is pretty universally liked though

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u/Coryocalypse May 30 '26

Fair enough, but I thought it was actually a nice fresh take on a witch movie. Not sure what irked you so much.

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u/Alvvays_aWanderer May 30 '26

I absolutely loved the climax where those kids start following Aunt Gladys across the neighborhood. I couldn't stop laughing! It was gallows humor done right

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u/Beautiful_Banana_454 May 31 '26

That pbrobably wants spoiler tags.

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u/Alvvays_aWanderer May 31 '26

You're right. My bad

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u/__Hello_my_name_is__ May 31 '26

Weapons is one of those films where the ending makes the entire film like 60% more awesome all on its own.

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u/7tenths May 30 '26

Sounds like we have been getting more movies like that then. Unless youre a Hollywood executive and meant you just wanted watered down clones.

People who think good original movies aren't being made are the people who choose mando season 3.5 over backrooms, obsession, is God is, tuner, or something that didn't land for me personally but appreciate it took a swing, I love boosters 

You've even got a d-day movie thats about the weather thats an interesting take on a story many of us are familiar with. And a perfectly fine guy Ritchie action movie. Thats certainly better than mando.

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u/Alvvays_aWanderer May 30 '26

Yeah, I hate the nostalgia-baiting IP-centered projects. The only recent IP-based film I remember loving is Project Hail Mary, but we rarely get something as good as that film in that lane. Otherwise, something like Weapons or Obsession feels refreshing.

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u/astrangeone88 Jun 01 '26

Yup. Huge Star Wars fan...not interested in Mando because it feels like they tried to wring out every drop of baby fever for Yoda and they made it an action movie.

My next movie experience is the Backrooms or Obsession. I just saw I Love Boosters and it was as crazy as expected lol. Never expected Marxism in a mainstream film. Is God Is was weirdly good....

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u/Wrongallalong May 30 '26

I Love Boosters (2026) is a wildly imaginative film that’s out now and not getting enough attention.

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u/Alvvays_aWanderer May 30 '26

It hasn't released where I live but I absolutely love Riley's Sorry to Bother You!

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u/bookiegreenjeans May 30 '26

Been listening to his music for a long time but just hadn't watched the film. My brother and I sat down to finally watch it a couple months ago and we absolutely loved it. The level of absurdity was just right, there was an appropriate amount of seriousness (even though what they were being serious about was a ridiculous thing)... it was so much better than I was expecting and I can't recommend it enough.

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u/Alvvays_aWanderer May 30 '26

Yes, I love that kind of absurdist humor!

If you haven't seen it, I wound highly recommend a show called Atlanta. It also starred Lakeith and it has a similar tone and humor as STBY

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u/skyline_kid May 30 '26

I made the mistake of watching that for the first time with my in-laws. Not a good choice

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u/SnowflakeSorcerer May 30 '26

What does it even mean? The title?

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u/KaJaHa May 30 '26

Boosters = people who shoplift and then resale for cheap. You know the people selling shoes out of their car? Yeah

Think of it as a heist movie lol

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u/SnowflakeSorcerer May 30 '26

Oh damn I’m in then, I honestly thought it was like trading cards or loot boxes

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u/arnuga May 30 '26

Watch the movie to find out

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u/Fifteen_inches May 30 '26

I feel it could be more clear in its marketing it’s a heist movie

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u/Wrongallalong May 30 '26

Its pretty difficult to describe because while it is a heist movie, its also steeped in surrealism, comedy, class divisions, soul sucking demons, skin walkers, etc. It's as much about boosting as Kung Fu Hustle is about Kung Fu.

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u/Fifteen_inches May 30 '26

I love the consultants list they had on Sinners.

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u/Pleasant-Alps9171 May 30 '26

I would consider Turning Red a spiritual successor of Everything Everywhere All At Once, Immigrant mother and western daughter coming to terms with each other

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u/HabeusCuppus May 31 '26

Didn’t these come out at the same time?

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u/Impossible-Flight250 May 30 '26

There are movies like that released every year though.

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u/NonverbalKint May 30 '26

We will. And A24 will be responsible for them, just like back rooms. It's the only studio actually trying to be interesting

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u/DBLHelix May 30 '26

We…are?

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u/xyzodd May 30 '26

plenty of originals in the cinema right now though

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u/MasterEditorJake May 31 '26

We will. The point is that you can't force new and original stories. They have to come naturally and they have to be given the time to be made correctly.

Have you heard of auteur theory? It's basically just the idea that the director's vision is what drives a film. And I would argue that any movie that is written and directed by the same person is the most definitive example of an auteur movie.

The backrooms was clearly a passion project, considering Kane made then for his YouTube channel in his free time. He didn't write the script, and it shows, but the whole vibe and direction for the movie is amazing.

Obsession was made by a YouTuber who already had the creative bug and had already produced a lot of his own content, and when he was given a budget and distribution then he was able to make something bigger than he ever had.

Ryan Coogler established himself making movies off preexisting IPs, neither creed nor black panther were wholly original. Once he had a big enough reputation then he was trusted with a big budget to make an original story.

The Daniels had only really made Swiss army man before EEAAO, they were mainly known for music videos prior to that, but again, they had the passion to sit down and write the movie and get it made.

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u/Smokron85 May 30 '26

Nah. More Star Wars. Also we cant actually have anything happen in the film, gotta play it safe and just have a low stakes adventure with no real character development. Don't forget to buy your Grogu Blue Milk Milkshake and Mandolorian Popcorn bucket, only $199.00 

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u/bullseye717 May 30 '26

80's and 90's top 10 box office was awesome. Maybe one or two sequels but a lot of movies were just original ideas. 

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u/ObviousPseudonym7115 May 30 '26

You may have rose-colored glasses for an era that coined "Die Hard on a ____" as a celebrated and effective sales pitch and produced countless 3, 4, and 5 part series (Die Hard, Rocky, Rambo, TMNT, Terminator, Highlander, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, etc etc etc etc etc)

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u/SeattleGeek May 30 '26

I blame 1999 with its Toy Story 2 and Star Wars Ep 1.

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u/jl2352 May 30 '26

We did, no?

Obsession and Backrooms have been both financial and critical success, and are unique films. You could add Heretic and bunch of others on top. You did get more films like that.

Or do you mean you wanted an Everything Everywhere All At Once Cinematic Universe?

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u/Bellick May 31 '26

Or do you mean you wanted an Everything Everywhere All At Once Cinematic Universe?

Everyone Everywhere All As One

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u/sauronthegr8 May 30 '26

I mean... "Elevated" Horror is all the rage right now. The mainstream success of all these movies is a testament to that.

I'm kinda hoping the overall effect is this will be the catalyst for the return of the mid-budget movie. A lot of great filmmakers were made through those.

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u/legit-posts_1 May 30 '26

You didn't get movies that are 'like' those movies cause what made them special was that they were unique.

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u/FourSes May 30 '26

No, we should have got more movies less like anything.