Story perspectives

Spielberg Warns Young Filmmakers After $460 M Indie Successes

6/13/2026

Summary

Story summary

Steven Spielberg warned young filmmakers Curry Barker and Kane Parsons during The Rest Is Entertainment that early success can inflate egos.
Barker’s horror film Obsession opened May 15, earned $238.7 million on a $750,000 budget, and became the highest-grossing Toronto International Film Festival acquisition.
Parsons’s debut Backrooms premiered May 29, grossed $220.6 million on a $10 million budget, and became A24’s top North American release with an 88 percent Rotten Tomatoes score.

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Story summary

Steven Spielberg warned young filmmakers Curry Barker and Kane Parsons during The Rest Is Entertainment that early success can inflate egos.
Barker’s horror film Obsession opened May 15, earned $238.7 million on a $750,000 budget, and became the highest-grossing Toronto International Film Festival acquisition.
Parsons’s debut Backrooms premiered May 29, grossed $220.6 million on a $10 million budget, and became A24’s top North American release with an 88 percent Rotten Tomatoes score.