Movies directed by YouTubers are suddenly blowing up at the box office.
Backrooms and Obsession are both smash hits, and The Amazing Digital Circus had a big debut last week.
Is this the moment YouTube truly takes over Hollywood?
Julia Alexander, media correspondent at Puck, walks us through the much longer history of YouTube on the big screen, and helps us figure out where this all goes next.
Is the future just really, really big YouTube videos?
We have new merch!
Get yours here: https://bit.ly/3RCikCY
0:00 – Intro: YouTubers taking over Hollywood
1:27 – 90 Seconds on The Verge (World Cup, Trump phone, Thread 1.4)
3:22 – Julia Alexander on the YouTube-to-Hollywood trend
4:32 – Creators bypassing Hollywood's gatekeeping system
8:44 – Is this actually a new phenomenon?
9:30 – Studios building creator divisions; multi-channel network déjà vu
14:40 – The end of the traditional movie star
17:01 – TV already did this: Broad City, Insecure, High Maintenance
20:32 – The communal movie theater comeback
22:16 – Exhibitors and creators need each other right now
25:10 – YouTube's play to become Hollywood
26:49 – Why Neal Mohan isn't worried about losing creators to theaters
30:14 – Outro
Subscribe: http://goo.gl/G5RXGs
Like The Verge on Facebook: https://goo.gl/2P1aGc
Follow on Twitter: https://goo.gl/XTWX61
Follow on Instagram: https://goo.gl/7ZeLv
Watch The Vergecast on YouTube: https://bit.ly/40RFRkg
The Vergecast Podcast: https://bit.ly/3WQDexZ
Decoder with Nilay Patel: http://apple.co/3v29nDc
More about our podcasts: https://www.theverge.com/podcasts
Read More: http://www.theverge.com
Community guidelines: http://bit.ly/2D0hlAv
Wallpapers from The Verge: https://bit.ly/2xQXYJr
Shop our Verge merch store here: https://bit.ly/4kPCmEc
Subscribe to The Verge: https://bit.ly/3FT6n5S
If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may receive a commission without exerting any influence on editorial content.
For more information about our ethics policy, visit: https://bit.ly/3ZWTlLs