2 min readJun 4, 2026 06:10 AM IST First published on: Jun 4, 2026 at 06:10 AM ISTIn 1929, in an interview with Gladys Hall in Motion Picture Magazine, Charlie Chaplin said, “[Talkies] are spoiling the oldest art in the world — the art of pantomime. They are ruining the great beauty of silence.” Years later, after making several talkies himself, he admitted, “I was obsessed by a… fear of being old-fashioned.” The 21st century, too, has had its share of Chaplins amid the ruptures caused by the information age and an isolating pandemic. Many wonder: Is cinema dying? If recent box-office numbers are anything to go by, however, the answer is no — the talent is just finding new ways to break through.In the US and many other markets, the top two films this week are Kane Parsons’s Backrooms and Curry Barker’s Obsession. Both filmmakers are among a growing number who found their start on YouTube and first created the stories they told on the big screen in the digital format. Barker co-founded the sketch comedy/horror duo (and YouTube channel) That’s a Bad Idea;Weapons director Zach Cregger did the same with The Whitest Kids U’Know. (Bo Burnham was one of the first on this scene). Many in the industry have been blaming “attention-deficit kids today” for the dwindling numbers in theatres. While there may be some truth to the allegation, the problem lies elsewhere: No one behind the traditional camera seems to quite “get the kids” today. Barker and Parsons’s successes underline an old truth about show business: If you tell the right story, and do it well, the audience will find you.AdvertisementThese creators have, in a lack, found an opportunity to articulate the fears of their generations. No wonder many of their films focus on horror, anxiety, politics. The artists and the audiences can breathe easy, and the gatekeepers can step back: Cinema is alive and well, it’s just evolving, and the kids are in the room.