The entertainment industry has been evolving at a pace that people 20 or 30 years ago would not believe. With the advent of the Internet and how more and more people are getting connected through the web, there is a new type of entertainer that is breaking through every single door that used to be closed and guarded by the gatekeepers of Hollywood. This type of entertainer is the YouTuber.
While it might be tough for the old guard to understand, YouTubers are some of the most popular people in the world today, and they are finally scoring gigs in Hollywood. So, without any further ado, here are 10 movies starring famous YouTubers.
Internet Famous
There would be no better way to start off this list than talking about a movie that is literally about people becoming Internet Famous. The creators of the movie were smart enough to fill the cast with YouTubers who know very well some of the things people go through and have to do in order to become famous through the Internet.
The movie is a giant satire that is going to be hit or miss with an audience. But if you like YouTubers and you enjoyed their humor, this movie is a must-watch as it features Internet celebrities like Shane Dawson and Amanda Cerny.
Tyler Perry's Boo! A Madea Halloween
Tyler Perry is one of the most divisive people in the movie industry. No, we are not saying that because Tyler himself is a controversial figure. We say that because his movies are very hit or miss. You either love them or you hate them. So, to honor the people who love them, we thought it was nothing but fair to have one of these gems on our list.
The YouTuber who made the cut for this movie was none other than Liza Koshy, who played Aday Walker in Tyler Perry's Boo! A Madea Halloween. The film only scored a 20 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but that did not diminish Koshy’s following on YouTube as she has an astounding more than 17 million subscribers.
The Wedding Ringer
The Wedding Ringer was not a crazy success when it comes to reviews, as it sported a 27 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. Nevertheless, it was a hit with some people as it had a 63 percent audience score. Seriously, a comedy starring Kevin Hart, Kaley Cuoco, and Josh Gad should be good enough for more than a few laughs. There is no reason for people not to give it a chance.
Nevertheless, we are not here to talk about the main stars of the movie. It made it to this list because of Justine Ezarik, a.k.a. iJustine played Stewart’s wife, Pam, in the movie. That is also not the only time Justine made it to the big screen as she has several film and television credits to her name.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
The superhero movie market is about as inflated as it has ever been. Still, that means that while there are a lot of these movies being put out, people are still watching at quite the considerable pace. So, if you are a rising actor trying to get your mark into a Hollywood promotion, these movies are certainly a great way to start off.
That was exactly what YouTuber and musician Troye Sivan did when he scored a part in the Wolverine origin movie. After playing the young James Howlett, Troye’s career took off as he gained more and more followers online and got to appear on shows like the Ellen DeGeneres Show and Saturday Night Live.
The Angry Birds Movie
YouTubers are a product of the Internet. Angry Birds are a product of phones, and we need the Internet to play Angry Birds, or at least to download it on your phone. It might be faint, but there is a connection there. Either way, we watch YouTube on our phones all the time and a lot of us play Angry Birds all the time on our phones. So, it was not surprising we found out that there was a YouTuber on the cast when they were making The Angry Birds Movie. Shocker, right?
Connection or not, Anthony Padilla sure didn’t complain when he found out he would get to work with people like Peter Dinklage, Kate McKinnon, and Sean Penn.
Pitch Perfect 2
The first international addition to our list surely brings this to a whole new level as Flula Borg was part of the cast of an unbelievably popular movie. Yes, we are talking about Pitch Perfect 2. Following up a success as gigantic as the first movie of this franchise is no easy feat, but the cast, writers, and director of Pitch Perfect 2 did enough to earn themselves a third movie and a score of 66 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
The YouTuber in their midst was Flula Borg, who was already widely known for his dancing and singing skill. He fit in like a glove as the captain of a German a cappella group and certainly helped the movie’s success.
The Babysitter
A babysitter, sacrifice, horror, and a ton of comedy? Sign us up. The Babysitter scored a whopping 71 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, which is very impressive for a raunchy comedy. So even if you are not the kind of person who usually likes these sorts of movie, maybe you should give this one a try. And if you like raunchy comedies do not miss this one because it is as funny as they come.
Much of the fun is due to the ever-hilarious presence of Andrew “King Bach” Bachelor. One of the most successful people to come out of Vine, King Bach became about as prolific in being part of movies as he was in making his Vine loops.
Trolls
A YouTuber with almost 3 million followers, an actress, and an incredibly successful podcaster, Grace Helbig has a resume that a lot of her peers would be envious of. Not only that, when it comes to her acting, she has a couple of acting gigs that a lot of other YouTuber’s would have paid to have scored. First and foremost, she starred in the DreamWorks movie Trolls. A huge big-screen hit that made more than $153 million in the box office and received a 75 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, this was the kind of production no celebrity would complain about being a part of. Grace was also in the cast of Smosh: The Movie and Camp Takota.
Ant-Man
As we have mentioned before, there are a few things that are as good for a young career as scoring a gig in a superhero movie. Now, if you manage to land a part in one of the huge Marvel feature films, then you are golden.
YouTuber, musician, and actress, Anna Akana did exactly that as she became a part of the cast of Marvel’s 2015 Ant-Man. The movie was arguably one of the biggest (no pun intended) surprises Marvel had in store for its fans. It made a whopping $138 million in the box office and scored 83 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
22 Jump Street
This movie is a classic by now. 21 Jump Street was already a fan-favorite movie that Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum elevated to new heights. They did the same with 22 Jump Street, but they also had the help of a YouTuber in doing so. The movie made more than $154 million in the box office and had a score of 84 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
There are not many people who are connected to the YouTube scene and have not heard of Jimmy Tatro. He rose to fame quickly on YouTube but diversified just as quickly. He has appeared in several movies and was also one of the stars of Netflix’s true-crime mockumentary, American Vandal.