Michael De Luca Explains Why “Backrooms” and “Obsession” Are Succeeding at the Box Office
Warner Bros. Motion Picture Co-Chair Michael De Luca used a Produced By panel at the Universal lot to discuss why creator-led films and digital-first marketing are gaining traction at the box office, pointing to the recent success of YouTube filmmakers Kane Parsons and Curry Barker as evidence of a changing audience relationship with movies. De Luca did not address the reported Paramount Warner Bros. Discovery merger, but he strongly praised the weekend box office momentum around Parsons’ A24 film Backrooms and Barker’s Focus Features title Obsession, saying creators who build their projects online arrive with a ready-made audience that has already shaped the work over time.
According to De Luca, Parsons spent five years developing Backrooms, while Barker’s audience engagement helped turn Obsession into a strong stateside hit. He said these filmmakers work in constant dialogue with their subscribers, effectively benefiting from repeated online feedback before the film reaches theaters. In his view, this is unlike the traditional studio process, where filmmakers may face test screenings in different cities and receive harsh audience reactions late in the process. By contrast, creator-driven projects are already calibrated for a fan base that has followed them for years.
De Luca also highlighted how online promotion and social media collaboration are reshaping film marketing. He said Warner’s revamped marketing strategy has benefited from digital campaigns, citing examples such as creator participation around Barbie and Leonardo DiCaprio’s involvement in a TikTok post. He credited Tom Cruise with helping fuel the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon after posting social media content that encouraged audiences to see both Barbie and Oppenheimer. In his remarks, De Luca suggested that digital and creator communities can now play a decisive role in amplifying theatrical releases.
He also reflected on Warner Bros.’ recent awards and box office history, saying the studio’s “popcorn experiment” with Oppenheimer cost it the chance to have both Oppenheimer and Barbie competing together at the Oscars. De Luca emphasized that strong relationships with filmmakers matter more than any single piece of intellectual property, arguing that the real value lies in the creative partnerships themselves. He warned that studios cannot afford to mishandle those relationships.
De Luca described Warner Bros.’ approach as a label strategy designed to offer something for every type of moviegoer, and he praised several executives and filmmakers across the company’s divisions, including New Line’s Richard Brener, Clockwork’s Christian Parkes, DC’s James Gunn and Peter Safran, Warner Bros. Animation’s Bill Damaschke, and production president Jesse Ehrman. He said Ehrman had once interviewed him for a producing role on A Minecraft Movie and later helped develop the film over more than a decade. He closed by saying there is no formula or algorithm for box office success because going to the theater is still an active choice. People decide whether to buy a ticket and disconnect from their devices, and studios can only succeed by putting enough appealing movies in front of audiences.
