Warner Bros. chief Michael De Luca used the Produced By Conference to spotlight a surge in box office that stems from creator-led films that talk directly to fans online. He highlighted Kane Parsons and Curry Barker as catalysts behind A24’s Backrooms and Focus Features’ Obsession, noting their influence on audience engagement over the weekend.
Parsons’ Backrooms generated a standout domestic opening while Barker’s Obsession posted a late-strong, record-setting performance. De Luca described the dynamic as a sustained dialogue with fans, with subscribers contributing input across iterations so that by release time the films are already tuned to please that audience. Backrooms is on pace for an opening in the mid-to-high 80s range, while Obsession has crossed $106 million in U.S. theaters this weekend.
Why these creators connect with moviegoers
“They craft online work that feels conversational,” De Luca said. “These filmmakers are in dialogue with their audience from the outset, and their subscribers influence each version.” He added that the result is a built-in testing ground that yields a calibrated film by the time it lands in theaters.
Marketing in the creator era
De Luca pointed to digital campaigns that hinge on creator participation. The industry-wide shift included TikTok activations and social content that amplified titles like Barbie, with the Barbenheimer phenomenon partly sparked when Tom Cruise posted tickets to both films. He said this illustrates how creator-driven content can magnify a film’s reach.
On Oppenheimer, he joked that a marketing approach misaligned with the project’s trajectory squandered an Oscar path, suggesting Warner might have landed nominations for both Oppenheimer and Barbie under different choices.
Crucially, De Luca argued that the true IP lives in the relationship with the filmmaker, not the concept alone. “You can’t fumble these balls,” he warned, underscoring a philosophy of collaboration across Warner’s labels and talent.
He credited Warner’s multi-label strategy—pulling in New Line, Clockwork, DC, and the animation unit—plus strong support from executives across production, as essential to offering cinema across varied audiences. The point, he said, is simple: no algorithm can predict a theater-going decision, so a distributor must bring multiple credible options to screens to reach film lovers everywhere.
The remarks came as moderator Sara Murphy framed Warner’s Oscar conversations around collaboration and long-term partnerships on the Universal lot.
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