Topline
A new horror movie based on a popular YouTube series has already broken records in previews for cult-favorite film studio A24, and its weekend performance could see it top the latest Star Wars theatrical release in what would be a resounding victory for its 20-year-old debut director.
Renate Reinsve in “The Backrooms.”
A24
Key Facts
“The Backrooms,” a psychological horror movie based on a popular Youtube series of the same name, grossed $10.4 million in Thursday box office previews, Variety reported.
That draw shatters the preview record for A24, previously held by the $2.9 million “Civil War” grossed in its Thursday preview in 2024, and sets it up to break the studio’s record in its wider release.
“Backrooms” is expected to top original opening weekend projections of $40 million to $50 million, setting it up to surpass Star Wars’ “Mandalorian and Grogu” from Disney, which will likely make about $40 million in its second weekend.
The success of “Backrooms,” 20-year-old Kane Parsons’ first turn as director, comes on the heels of another horror’s surprising debut as the breakout hit of the summer.
“Obsession,” directed by 26-year-old Curry Barker, has grossed more than $68 million domestically—miles beyond its $750,000 and $1 million budget—and achieved a “virtually unprecedented” spike in its second weekend.
“Obsession” is expected to make another $15 million to $20 million in its third weekend.
Surprising Fact
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” is undisputedly A24’s most successful movie—it won seven Oscars, including Best Picture, and is the studio’s second-highest grossing film of all time—but its unconventional rollout left space for “The Backrooms” to notch a few studio records. “Everything Everywhere” opened in limited release across just 10 theaters and didn’t have a conventional Thursday preview day, meaning it wasn’t a real player for the records “Backrooms” is now breaking.
Big Number
More than 220 million. That’s how many views Parsons’ viral “Backrooms” horror series has generated on Youtube including original breakout short film, “The Backrooms (Found Footage),” which has notched more than 78 million views alone.
Key Background
Parsons uploaded his short film, “The Backrooms (Found Footage),” four years ago. The story follows a filmmaker who accidentally stumbles into a series of hidden rooms while filming his low-budget film. The concept pulled largely from a niche internet meme that found life on sub-Reddits and 4chan, and the film went viral almost instantly, amassing tens of millions of views in weeks. Parsons, who was 16 at the time, told Vanity Fair he was approached by studios almost immediately and ultimately made his pitch to A24 in the same week his college applications were due. He signed with the studio at 19, the youngest director in the studio’s history.
Crucial Quote
“His work is so singular and evocative,” Kori Adelson, a producer who helped bring Parsons to A24, told Vanity Fair. “We will be in the Kane business as long as he allows it.”