Unsubscribe (film)

Unsubscribe is a 2020 horror film created by filmmaker Christian Nilsson and YouTuber Eric Tabach.[8] It stars Tabach, Charlie Tahan and YouTuber Michelle Khare,[3] and other successful YouTubers like Thomas Brag and Zach Kornfeld.[9] The 29-minute film[6] follows five famous YouTubers who are tricked into joining an online call, only to find themselves stalked and hunted by an internet troll on camera.[5][3]

Unsubscribe
Theatrical release poster
Directed byChristian Nilsson[1]
Screenplay byChristian Nilsson[1]
Produced byXiansson[2]
Starring
Music byHugo Lopez[2]
Production
company
TXE[2]
Release date
  • June 10, 2020 (2020-06-10)[3]
Running time
29 minutes[6]
CountryUnited States[7][4]
Budget$0[3]
Box office$25,488[1]

The film gained international publicity for earning a #1 spot in the worldwide box office and grossing US$25,488 on a $0 budget.[1][10][11] This was achieved via a technique known as "four-walling", which allows filmmakers who rent out a whole theater to gain all of the profits from that film.[5]

Plot

Five YouTubers band together and conduct a video-call[12][3] to celebrate their friend's birthday.[2] When a mysterious user named Whitey (Charlie Tahan) suddenly appears in the meeting, the group begins to be stalked and terrorized by this enigmatic member of the call.[3][1][7]

Cast

Production

On May 7, 2020, Tabach called Nilsson to ask how he could potentially get one of his own YouTube videos to become the number one film in the U.S. box office. Nilsson explained "four-walling", the distribution technique where a filmmaker rents out an entire theater which allows them to keep all the profits. Because theaters were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nilsson predicted they'd be able to rent out a closed theater for very little money, buy ever ticket themselves for several showings, then keep the profits—essentially, breaking even.[13]

Nilsson knocked out the script for "Unsubscribe" in one day,[14] and filming began Monday, May 11 with Tabach's friends and fellow YouTubers including Charlie Tahan (Ozark, I Am Legend), Michelle Khare (HBO Max's Karma), Zach Kornfeld (Try Guys), Thomas Brag (Yes Theory), Sneako, Tyler Brash, and Lauren Brodauf. A majority of the film was shot over Zoom in just three days.[15]

On June 20, 2020, Nilsson and Tabach premiered the film at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center in Westhampton Beach, NY. They bought out five showings and racked up $25,488 in ticket sales. The following day, the film was listed on Box Office Mojo and The Numbers as the number one film in the U.S. box office.[16]

Reception

The film garnered mostly positive reviews for its creation process and ability to gain high rankings during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Washington Post praised the film as "a testament to artistic ingenuity under lockdown",[5] while NME called the film an "entertaining hoax",[10] and Fox News opined that "garnering a No. 1 release – albeit short-lived since 'Unsubscribe' failed to throw off weekend box office numbers – is a stout accomplishment in itself".[8] Other sources were more ambivalent, such as Decider, which stated that "[w]hether this stunt is a stroke of brilliance or a stroke of shameless self-promotion is up to you",[9] while Trillmag said that "Unsubscribe's status as a historical filmmaking achievement is indicated by the unorthodox (and deviously scheming) method through which it achieved box office success".[7]

References
  1. "Their film played for 1 day at 1 LI theater — and became the No. 1 movie in America". Newsday. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  2. "Unsubscribe - Trailer 2020 - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  3. Nevett, Joshua (2020-06-19). "How a $0-budget movie 'topped the US box office'". BBC News. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  4. "$0 budget film 'Unsubscribe' tops Box office". Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  5. Elfrink, Tim (June 18, 2020). "Want to top the box office during a pandemic? Film for free on Zoom and then rent out a theater". The Washington Post.
  6. All citations that can be found, such as these ones,[4][5] cite the film's length at 29 minutes.
  7. "$0 Budget Movie 'Unsubscribe' Tops U.S. Box Office - Trill! Magazine". Trill! Magazine. 2020-06-21. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  8. Young, Julius (2020-06-19). "'Unsubscribe' is a $0-budget movie that cleverly 'topped the US box office'". Fox News. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  9. "These YouTubers Had the No. 1 Film in America Thanks to a Pandemic Loophole". Decider. 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  10. "Box office busted: a short history of Hollywood's greatest ever hoaxes". NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  11. "'Unsubscribe': $0-budget film made by pranksters tops US box office | NME". NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  12. Jones, Nate (2020-06-18). "Two Filmmakers Rented Out a Theater and Got the No. 1 Movie in America". Vulture. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
  13. Tabach, Eric (June 14, 2020). "I Made The #1 Box Office Movie In America". YouTube.
  14. Edwards, Shanee (6 July 2020). "How a $0 Budget Film Topped the Box Office Thanks to the Pandemic". Screenwriting Magazine.
  15. Unsubscribe (2020) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-11-10
  16. Elfrink, Tim. "Want to top the box office during a pandemic? Film for free on Zoom and then rent out a theater". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-11-10.


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