YouTube predicts more creator-led hits after Obsession and Backrooms
YouTube expects more online creators to jump from the platform to cinemas after Obsession and Backrooms.
Pedro Pina, vice-president of YouTube for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, made the forecast on the opening day of the sixth edition of Iberseries & Platino Industria in Madrid, Spain, The Hollywood Reporter reported on 29 September 2026. EMEA, the region in his title, is the industry shorthand for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
His keynote was titled "YouTube: The Strategic Ally of the Audiovisual System." The official event programme uses a slightly different wording, "YouTube: the strategic ally of the audiovisual ecosystem," and describes the session as exploring how YouTube fuels audience growth and expands traditional business models, according to Iberseries & Platino Industria.
Pina pointed to two titles as evidence. The creators behind Obsession and Backrooms were YouTubers who moved into the box-office business, meaning ticket sales in cinemas, and were a tremendous success this year.
Backrooms is the clearest measure so far. A24's film is a big-screen adaptation of a viral YouTube horror series and earned 81.5 million US dollars at the box office, Philstar reported on 2 June 2026. That total was reported as breaking several box-office records.
Pina said the pattern will repeat. He predicted more moves by online creators into cinema and said he expects to see more such examples at the Emmys and the Oscars in the coming years. The Emmys honour television and the Oscars honour film.
He also spoke about distrust inside the business. Many people in the industry were afraid of YouTube because they did not understand how the platform works, how content could be protected, how it could reach new audiences and how monetisation, earning money from videos, works. YouTube started its effort to explain that model to media and entertainment companies roughly three years ago, and Pina said the amount of material uploaded by traditional players is now increasing.
That outreach was visible last year. Pina appeared with Jasmine Dawson, senior vice-president of digital at BBC Studios, at the Palais to discuss the YouTube-BBC Studios content partnership, The Hollywood Reporter reported in October 2025.
What makes this stand out is the change in direction. For years the traffic ran from cinemas and television to clips online. Pina is betting the next run will go the other way, from uploads to premieres and awards nights.
