Why Hollywood execs are freaking out about “Backrooms”

The low-budget horror film ‘Backrooms’ is the surprise hit of the summer so far, netting more than $200 million globally in its leap from YouTube series to the big screen. But among the film’s producers is a Hollywood heavyweight: Peter Chernin. As the former president and COO of News Corp. and chairman and CEO of the Fox Group, Peter greenlit huge hits like “Titanic” and “Avatar,” before moving on to found both North Road and The Chernin Group. Kara and Peter talk about why “Backrooms” appealed to young audiences, the ways Hollywood has played it too safe over the last decade, and what it needs to do to get back to making the kinds of movies people want to see. They also talk about how AI could impact the movie-making business and why he’s not opposed to Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. A note to viewers: This episode was recorded before the Justice Department approved Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery late Friday. 00:00 Intro 01:04 How Backrooms Became a Box Office Hit 08:04 Why Hollywood execs all want YouTubers 18:30 What Hollywood gets wrong about innovation 26:55 The wrong lessons Hollywood will learn from Backrooms 31:00 Hollywood needs more risk-taking 39:05 AI, Creativity, and the future of filmmaking 47:30 The real problem facing Hollywood today 55:00 Peter Chernin on retirement, legacy & what's next Subscribe: https://goo.gl/FRleYo Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/42ntT7X... FOLLOW US Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onwithkaras... TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@onwithkaraswi... LinkedIn:   / kara-swisher-b7213   Threads: https://www.threads.com/@onwithkarasw... Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/onwithkarasw...