India, June 2 -- Two low-budget horror features directed by homegrown YouTube creators have achieved the unthinkable. They collectively toppled a major Disney tentpole at the global box office. Backrooms, a psychological horror film directed by 20-year-old internet sensation Kane Parsons, and Obsession by 26-year-old creator Curry Barker, dominated the weekend charts, effectively relegating the Star Wars instalment, The Mandalorian and Grogu, to third place.

The success of these films has sent shockwaves through Hollywood, proving that audience preferences are rapidly pivoting toward creator-led, original storytelling over established franchise intellectual property.

Backrooms, released by indie studio A24, shattered records with an est...