Steven Spielberg 'applauds' about box-office success of 'Obsession', 'Backrooms'
Los Angeles, June 6
Legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg has heaped praise on Hollywood's new cohort of horror filmmakers after a successful few weekends at the box office.
At a recent screening of his new movie Disclosure Day, the three times Oscar winner expressed his amazement at seeing Obsession and Backrooms do so well in theaters after they were made for "very little money," reports deadline.com.
"I'm so happy for them. I think it's so fantastic," said Spielberg in a red carpet interview.
"I think it's great that they had basically very little money, especially Obsession had under $1 million, and the other film had maybe 10 or nine, and they're doing so well, and I just applaud them. I haven't seen Backrooms; I am going to see it when all this is over. But I have seen Obsession, and I loved it."
Premiering May 15 in theaters, director Curry Barker's horror breakout Obsession follows Bear, played by Michael Johnston, a music store employee who buys a supernatural toy that grants him his wish for his friend Nikki, essayed by Inde Navarrette, to fall in love with him, resulting in horrifying consequences.
It is Barker's second feature-length film, after Milk & Serial in 2024, and his first to be released in theaters.
Making his directorial debut as A24's youngest ever at 20, Kane Parsons' Backrooms, a psychological horror, revolves around an impossibly large, extradimensional labyrinth of empty, identical rooms that can be accidentally accessed by "glitching" or falling out of reality.
Talking about Spielberg, he is a magnanimous figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster.
He is known as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema and has been feted with three Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, four BAFTA Awards, twelve Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and a Grammy Award, as well as the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1995, an honorary knighthood in 2001. He is one of 22 people to achieve EGOT status.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Hollywood ke log itna support karte hain chhoti films ko.. Yahan toh big budget flop movies ko bhi promotions milti hai. But happy for these young directors, especially the 20-year-old! 😊
Love that Spielberg is still paying attention to the next generation. Backrooms sounds wild—an endless maze of empty rooms? That's the kind of existential horror that really gets under your skin.
Obsession ka plot sounds interesting but also kinda creepy—falling in love via supernatural toy? That's dark. But hey, if Spielberg liked it, might give it a watch on OTT. Hope Indian audiences get it soon.
It's refreshing to see a legend like Spielberg embrace new voices. Horror is having a real renaissance in Hollywood—and these low-budget successes prove that creativity matters more than money. Well deserved!
Under $1 million ka budget? Aur itna success? Yaar, yahan toh 100 crore ke budget wali films bhi flop ho jati hain. Indian indie filmmakers need this kind of support too. Kudos to Spielberg for encouraging talent.
Honestly, I'm a bit skeptical about Backrooms—sounds like it could be either genius or a mess.
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