Podbit · This Week in Tech (Audio)
A 20-year-old YouTube creator got $10 million from A24 and made over $100 million at the box office in one weekend. Meanwhile YouTube globally overtook Netflix in daily average viewing for the first time. The panel argues this isn't a fluke — it's the permanent collapse of traditional gatekeeping in entertainment.
Where this was said
At 2:34:20 · chapter starts 2:34:05
The week's most culturally significant story arrives at the end: YouTube has officially overtaken Netflix in global average daily viewing, reaching 99.1 minutes to Netflix's 93 [1] — Leo Laporte "Backrooms movie grossed $100M+ in first weekend: Kane Pixels' Backrooms film, made on a $10 million A24 budget by a 20-year-old director, e…" 2:34:42 . Simultaneously, Backrooms — directed by 20-year-old YouTube creator Kane Pixels with $10 million from A24 — grossed over $100 million in its opening weekend. Jeff Jarvis notes this is categorically different from the failed first wave of YouTube-to-Hollywood transitions a decade ago, when Nickelodeon imported creators and stripped out what made them work. This time, the creators are making movies on their own terms. Jeff connects this to Robert Tercek's appearance on Intelligent Machines discussing AI-generated films premiering at Tribeca. Fr. Robert highlights Viva La Dirt League as a YouTube channel with genuine filmmaking chops, and Joey recommends 'The Archive Inbetween,' a YouTube channel doing AI-generated '1950s civil defense films for the multiverse.' South Korea leads global YouTube viewing at 161.5 minutes a day; France recorded the biggest growth.
Kane Pixels' Backrooms film, made on a $10 million A24 budget by a 20-year-old director, earned over $100 million in its opening weekend, marking a landmark for YouTube-to-film transitions.
YouTube's global average daily viewing reached 99.1 minutes in 2025, surpassing Netflix's 93 minutes, marking the first time YouTube has taken the daily viewing crown.
Robby Hoffman isn't fearless — she's terrified all the time. The difference is she does it anyway, because not doing it feels worse than the fear itself.
John Mulaney texted Robby Hoffman out of nowhere saying he'd been a fan for a while and wanted to make a Netflix special with her. Robby called it 'shocking, horrifying, anxiety-inducing, surreal and thrilling' — and said yes.
Mulaney is buttoned-up, suit-wearing, classy. Robby is gritty, raw, and undefined. Together they made the collab nobody expected. Batman and Robin. Eminem and Dido.
Music had Pope Gregory forcing notation. Comedy has had 'magical thinking' — he's just got funny bones. But jokes work through discoverable, teachable mechanics. Writing down the rules doesn't kill the magic; it gives more people access to it.
Howard Ashman had one insight nobody else had: animated Disney films should be Broadway musicals. The third song of every great musical is the character sitting alone explaining what they want. That's 'Part of Your World.' That structure — combined with Alan Menken's compositions — generated Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, and turned Disney Animation into the most profitable creative engine in entertainment history.
The Lion King musical has been running for 30 years across Broadway, London's West End, and global touring companies. It has grossed over $11 billion in total revenue — more than Avatar, more than Avengers: Endgame, more than any album, more than any video game. It generates an average of $350 million in revenue every single year. Disney owns it outright.
The anonymous French artist Invader has hidden 1,500 pixelated mosaic artworks across Paris alone, with thousands more scattered across 80+ cities — affixed to the Eiffel Tower, the Hollywood sign, and even sent to the International Space Station. He might be even busier than Banksy.
The Flash Invaders app turns city streets into a treasure hunt, letting players scan Invader's hidden mosaics for points. Players have collectively logged over 47 million flashes. Unlike most mobile games that glue you to a screen, this one forces you to look up and engage with your surroundings.
New York draws thousands of young, talented performers every year chasing Broadway stardom — but the hard truth is that most of them never make it. Zelig Williams was one of the rare exceptions.
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