‘Backrooms’ Box Office: 5 Takeaways After Kane Parsons’ Horror Hit Obliterated Opening Weekend Expectations

By Rebecca Rubin

Rebecca Rubin

Senior Film and Media Reporter

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This weekend, “Backrooms” entered the mainstream.

A24‘s buzzy horror film, directed by 20-year-old YouTube phenom Kane Parsons, obliterated box office expectations with $81 million domestically and $118 million worldwide in its opening weekend. Those ticket sales rank as the largest debut ever for A24, more than tripling the record once established by Alex Garland’s 2024 thriller “Civil War” ($25.5 million). It also delivered the biggest start in history for an original horror movie. Meanwhile, Parsons became the youngest filmmaker with a No. 1 film at the box office, trouncing the benchmark held by Josh Trank, who was 27 when 2012’s “Chronicle” launched in first place with $22 million.

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