Featured Image Credit: A24
2026 looks like a year where indie horror is destined to dominate the box office, and in the aftermath of The Blair Witch Project being the most successful movie of all time on a budget of under $1 million for decades, we're being reminded you don't need to be Avengers: Doomsday to make it big on the silver screen.
We're used to hearing about ridiculous budgets like Jurassic World Dominion being the most expensive film ever made, but on the other end of the spectrum, Backrooms and Obsession are doing it on a veritable shoestring.
There's been a lot of buzz about this pair, especially as directors Kane Parsons (Backrooms) and Curry Barker (Obsession) cut their teeth making horror on YouTube, with the latter taking The Blair Witch Project's crown as the highest-grossing modern film made on a micro-budget. Backrooms had a beefier $10 million budget, but with it just crossing $301 million at the global box office, Parsons and studio A24 are laughing all the way to the bank.
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You might know A24 for turning out everything from Hereditary to Talk to Me, and alongside Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions, it's a modern horror house.
As reported by The Wall Street Journal, Google has just pumped an impressive $75 million into A24. This might cause a bit of a stir as the partnership is part of a wider plan to help develop AI-powered tools for filmmakers.
It’d be especially interesting to know what Parsons thinks, as in a recent interview with The Australian, the Backrooms director referred to AI as ‘cultural rot’. Making his feelings clear, Parsons said: “I think I’m in the same boat as most well-adjusted people. If I could snap my fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, I probably would…
Google DeepMind 🤝 @A24
— Google DeepMind (@GoogleDeepMind) June 22, 2026
We’re launching a research partnership with A24 to ensure the tools of the future are shaped by the creators who use them. Find out more → https://t.co/KN3HdGVjGS pic.twitter.com/IUD7rkcRQS
“Creatively, I get no enjoyment from using those tools. It defeats the purpose entirely for me.”
Google’s $75 million is in line with what Thrive Capital invested during A24's last funding round. A24 will now have access to DeepMind’s research and infrastructure, with DeepMind researchers working alongside the film studio to create new workflows.
In a statement on Google's site, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis reiterated: "We believe the best way to develop tools that empower artists is to work directly with them. By collaborating with filmmakers and industry leaders like A24 from the beginning, we can build new AI features to support artists in authentic, meaningful storytelling that helps enable their creative vision.”
Although DeepMind already has deals with filmmakers including Black Swan's Darren Aronofsky, this is the first partnership with a full movie studio. Further details haven't been confirmed, although it's noted that Google has Veo as its own acclaimed video generator.
It's important to note Google won't have access to A24's impressive library of movies nor its data.
The Google deal fits into a bigger picture of studios investing in AI, with Netflix and Amazon's Prime Video already developing tools for filmmakers, while Lionsgate is working with Runway AI to build models.
