Sony Classics Co-Chief Compares ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Obsession’ Success to ‘Easy Rider’ Era Shift

The unexpected commercial triumph of Kane Parsons’ “Backrooms” and Curry Barker’s “Obsession” has dominated industry conversations over the past quarter, prompting executives to reassess how to leverage the momentum generated by these youthful, YouTube-originating directors. Speaking at the Zurich Summit on Saturday, Parsons addressed the audience, noting that he does not categorize his viral hit as a traditional horror project.

“I don’t view it as a horror project,” Parsons said. “I think that’s just naturally in the path of least resistance from a marketing perspective and is what seems comfortable to people as a framing device.” He added that with increased creative control over future endeavors, he intends to resist such rigid genre labels.

The discussion also touched on potential franchise expansions, with Robbie Brenner, president and chief content officer at Mattel Studios, offering a tentative outlook on a “Barbie” sequel. When asked about the possibility, Brenner responded affirmatively: “Look, we all wanna have a ‘Barbie’ sequel. I mean, who doesn’t wanna see the sequel to ‘Barbie’? And I’m sure at some point in time there will be one. We all want it to happen. We’ll see.”

Positioned alongside industry veterans Brenner, Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker, and Bill Kramer, CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Parsons served as a voice for his generation. He emphasized that while he wished to avoid making it solely an age-based narrative, there is a palpable appetite for the theatrical experience among younger viewers.

Parsons described “Backrooms” as a pre-existing but decentralized intellectual property found online, suggesting that audiences are seeking novelty rather than recycling established cultural icons. Kramer agreed, highlighting the film as a pioneering example of fandom migrating from YouTube to cinema.

“Young people want to go back to movie theaters,” Kramer stated. “Fandoms shift; theatrical can inform a fandom, YouTube can inform a theatrical fandom. It’s all connected in a way that I don’t think we thought was possible. And that, for me, was a big takeaway of this summer. And gives me great hope for the film industry because we’re seeing young people come back to the movies, and that’s really key.”

When Parsons mentioned that peers tend to gravitate toward short-form content, Kramer pushed back, calling the notion reductive. Parsons concurred, elaborating that algorithm-driven consumption is often perceived as a forced reality rather than a genuine preference.

“I feel like the sentiment is more that this is weaponized,” Parsons explained. “This algorithmically incentivized reality is not really something I think most people enjoy about their own wiring. They don’t love that their attention spans are being sucked into the spiral of mostly consuming stuff that is that short. Going into a closed room without outsider interference lowers the tempo in a way that is refreshing.”

Barker drew parallels between the current cinematic landscape and the release of Dennis Hopper’s “Easy Rider” in the 1970s. He noted that the latter film emerged during the Vietnam War era and spoke directly to young audiences, fundamentally altering the films that followed.

“‘Easy Rider’ came out in the middle of the Vietnam War, in the middle of a right-wing presidency. It spoke to young people; they responded in huge numbers, and it affected the movies that were gonna be made afterwards,” Barker said. “I think this is that moment, this summer with ‘Obsession’ and ‘Backrooms.’”

The summit also covered the Academy’s multi-year agreement granting YouTube exclusive global streaming rights to the Oscars from 2029 through 2033. When queried about the terms, Kramer confirmed it was a favorable arrangement, noting, “A very good deal. We are a nonprofit, so this also allows us to sustain our great work.”