Pedro Pina told an Iberseries audience in Madrid that the success of Obsession and Backrooms proves online creators can now dominate cinema, and he expects more such crossovers.
Pedro Pina, YouTube’s vice‑president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, stepped onto the stage at the Iberseries & Platino Industria conference in Madrid and announced a clear trend: creators who first made a name on YouTube are now pulling in box‑office numbers that rival traditional studios.
The two films he highlighted – Curry Barker’s Obsession and Kane Parsons’ Backrooms – both started as short‑form videos on the platform before being expanded into full‑length horror features. Their theatrical runs this year topped expectations, proving that a strong online following can translate into ticket sales.
“We can see that creators are defining and shaping the culture. As a result, the cultural impact that we have is phenomenal,” Pina said, his voice echoing through a packed auditorium of producers and distributors.
He didn’t stop at applause. The exec laid out YouTube’s broader strategy, noting that the company has spent the last three years demystifying its monetisation model for the film business. “The majority of people in the industry, unfortunately, don’t understand it as much, and that’s 100 percent our fault. We never spent enough time explaining to the industry how we work, how you can monetize,” he admitted.
That admission is significant because many studios have long viewed the platform with suspicion, fearing loss of control over content and revenue. Pina argued that the fear stems from a lack of clarity, not from any inherent flaw. “Once you start breaking down that information and providing examples and showing the way, you see more and more people starting to look at this,” he added.
The data backs his optimism. Obsession and Backrooms together raked in millions across North America and Europe, outperforming several mid‑budget genre releases. Their success has already sparked talks of similar projects in the pipeline, with several production houses courting YouTube talent for horror, sci‑fi and teen‑drama adaptations.
YouTube, meanwhile, is positioning itself as a partner rather than a mere distributor. “The objective of being here at this event, as well as so many others … is to really show up and really explain how our model works,” Pina explained. He pointed to a growing stream of traditional studios uploading content to the platform, a sign that the industry is finally catching up.
Industry insiders at the conference, including executives from Amazon MGM Studios, echoed the sentiment. They highlighted recent successes in other genres – a Spanish zombie horror and a YA novel adaptation – as evidence that the creator‑driven model is not limited to horror.
Looking ahead, Pina predicts that the next wave of Oscar‑ and Emmy‑level projects will feature YouTubers in the driver’s seat. “I would expect to see more and more of these examples at the Emmys and Oscars in the coming years,” he said, hinting at a future where the red carpet welcomes a new breed of celebrity.
For now, the message is clear: if a creator can build a loyal subscriber base, they can also command a cinema audience. The onus is on studios to learn the playbook, and on YouTube to keep refining the partnership.
The next Iberseries gathering, slated for early next month, will likely showcase more case studies, and the industry will be watching to see whether the hype translates into a sustained shift in how movies are financed and marketed.
What this means for the average moviegoer – more familiar faces from your feed may soon be starring on the big screen, and the line between online content and Hollywood could blur even further.
Stay tuned for updates as more creators announce their cinematic ventures.
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