Horror content creators have been on Hollywood’s radar for a couple years now, with studio deals flying for RackaRacka‘s hit Talk to Me, Chris Stuckmann‘s upcoming Shelby Oaks, Kane Parsons‘ upcoming backrooms film, and—most recently—Curry Barker, creator of iconic YouTube horror short The Chair, announcing a deal with Fall and 47 Meters Down producer James Harris and his company Tea Shop Productions.
But even if creators don’t sign a studio deal, there are still ways for them to get their spooky content on the big screen.
After selling out 168 Cinemark theaters with the first two episodes of their Conjuring house documentary series in October 2023, daring YouTube duo Sam and Colby are back to celebrate Halloween with a second Cinemark partnership. This time, they’re releasing an exclusive, 97-minute film, The Legend of Skinwalker Ranch.
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Sam and Colby got their start on YouTube as a lifestyle BFFs channel in 2014, but it wasn’t long until their content morphed more toward urban exploration. Now, a decade later, they have 13 million subscribers and generate around 40 million views a month by visiting infamous haunted locations like the aforementioned Conjuring house (aka the Old Arnold Estate in Rhode Island), The Stanley Hotel, The Queen Mary, the Sallie House, and the Portal to Hell.
For years now, the duo have held “Hell Week,” where, each October, they put out their spookiest content of the year. Last year, that was the seven-part Conjuring documentary that racked up nearly 80 million views on YouTube after its Cinemark premiere, and this year, it’s a deep dive into Skinwalker Ranch, a notorious homestead southwest of Ballard, Utah, that’s supposedly known for various breeds of paranormal and UFO encounters.
The Legend of Skinwalker Ranch follows Sam, Colby, and their buddy Nate Hardy as they tackle the farm with their usual techy ghost-hunting (hello, spirit boxes) and page through its myths to investigate whether it really could be home to a smorgasbord of ghouls, ghosts, aliens, and cryptids.
Cinemark originally planned to air the film on 260 screens over three days, but expanded distribution to 350 screens over seven days thanks to fans’ enthusiastic response during presales. (The theater chain doesn’t disclose exact ticket sales; a rep for Sam and Colby tells us that “all signals however indicate really high demand.”)
“Every year we aim bigger and our fans have been there for us every step of the way,” Sam tells Tubefilter. “While this has been a big risk, with such and amazing audience and amazing partners like Cinemark, we’re confident we could deliver. While this is our widest release yet, it really does feel like we’re just getting started. It’s definitely exciting times.”
“350 screens is just insane,” Colby adds. “We’ve put a whole year into this one film and can’t wait to see how our community reacts to that kind of extra time and care. They’ll definitely recognize it as the Sam and Colby production, we put a Hollywood polish on it that really speaks to a theater setting. Get that popcorn ready!!”
Fans can catch the film Oct. 3-7 at Cinemark theaters across the U.S. As for what else Sam and Colby get up to outside of spooky season, the duo tell us the merch partnership they signed last year with Zumiez expanded into a year-round commitment, with their brand XPLR selling eight figures of revenue so far in hundreds of Zumiez stores and dozens of Hot Topic locations.
With fans apparently clamoring for the chance to see Sam and Colby in theaters, we’re wondering if Cinemark will consider deals with other creators. It wouldn’t be the first theater chain to do so: Over in France, film club MK2 (which earlier this year launched a dedicated “YouTube Cinema Club” where it brings YouTubers to theater screens) tapped YouTuber Inoxtag to air his documentary about summiting Mount Everest. That film sold 350,000 tickets in just one day before going on to grab 24 million views on YouTube.
