YouTube is taking over Hollywood

This section discusses the rising trend of creators from YouTube gaining mainstream attention by making successful films, such as 'Backrooms' and 'Obsession', which have become box office successes despite their origins on the internet. The conversation emphasizes that these creators often originate outside traditional Hollywood pathways, using social platforms like YouTube to build audiences before translating that success into feature films. It highlights how Hollywood is starting to adapt by forming creator-centric divisions, exploring collaborations, and recognizing the developed audiences that creators like Markiplier and others have cultivated. The discussion also touches on a long-standing history of creators bypassing traditional gatekeeping, with modern YouTubers now directly making Hollywood movies, which signifies a merging of online and traditional media worlds.

This section explores how the distribution of content has evolved from traditional Hollywood production to digital platforms, focused on YouTube as a launchpad for talent. Examples include YouTubers self-producing films with smaller budgets, like Markiplier, and then scaling those into theatrical releases, showcasing a new pipeline for emerging filmmakers. It also discusses how major studios like A24 are partnering with online creators and how aspirational creators like Kane Parsons and the 'Philipus brothers' have used platforms to develop audiences before entering traditional Hollywood systems. The segment highlights how this shift reduces the perceived risk for studios and investors, as creators with proven audiences are more attractive for big-budget projects.

Here, the podcast evaluates the possible overreactions from Hollywood and how the rapid success of YouTube-originated movies might influence industry behaviors. The hosts consider two extremes: Hollywood embracing the YouTube creators by giving them more opportunities or theaters showing mostly online content like YouTube videos. The discussion emphasizes that major hits from YouTubers are often low-budget horror films that are profitable due to their scale, genre, and built-in audiences. It also touches on how major creators like MrBeast are expanding across multiple platforms, maintaining non-exclusive relationships with Hollywood, and blurring the lines between digital and traditional media. Finally, the podcast suggests that YouTube sees this trend as an opportunity to position itself as the future of Hollywood, focusing on premium content, while Hollywood might overreact by simplifying the narrative to subscriber counts and box office results.

This section discusses how the rise of YouTube creators and digital stars might change perceptions of celebrity. Traditional movie stars, who maintain a mystique by remaining largely absent from social media and web platforms, may see their influence diminish as a new generation of creators and influencers gain prominence. The conversation notes that many top creators are engaging directly in multiple content forms—films, TV, social media—generating a more continuous, omnipresent engagement with their audiences. This could lead to a decline in the exclusive, high-profile star system that has dominated Hollywood for decades, replaced by a more democratized and platform-integrated star culture.

This final section looks at how theaters are trying to adapt by hosting communal experiences around content that appeals to digital-native audiences. Examples include limited theatrical runs for series like 'The Amazing Digital Circus' and creators like Billy Eilish and Taylor Swift offering concert films in theaters. The discussion suggests that the future of movie-going may be less about blockbuster franchises and more about shared experiences for niche or online communities. The pandemic-era experimentation with short-term theatrical runs and live events indicates a possible new model where theaters serve as community hubs for specific audiences, integrating content from creators familiar from online platforms.