Young Filmmakers Captivate Audiences as ‘Backrooms’ Tops Box Office

This weekend, movie theaters across the country saw a surge in young audiences. Surprisingly, it wasn’t for the latest ‘Star Wars’ release, but for a low-budget horror film, ‘Backrooms.’ Directed by 20-year-old YouTube filmmaker Kane Parsons, ‘Backrooms’ made a remarkable $81.5 million in its first three days. This figure closely rivals the opening weekend earnings of ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu,’ which saw a sharp decline in its second week.

A24 distributed ‘Backrooms’ in 3,442 locations across the U.S. and Canada. With a production cost of only $10 million, the movie’s success mirrors the rise of another YouTuber’s directorial debut, ‘Obsession,’ by Curry Barker. Despite a meager budget of less than $1 million, ‘Obsession’ maintained strong performance, earning a 10% increase this weekend with $26.4 million, placing it second.

The releases of ‘The Breadwinner’ and ‘Pressure’ highlighted the weekend’s diversity in offerings. Despite this, the impressive performances of ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Obsession’ stood out. Both films were produced by Blumhouse and Atomic Monster. Luis Olloqui, CEO of Cinépolis USA, noted the trend of sellouts with both films, indicating strong interest regardless of competition.

The right content, regardless of its source, is drawing audiences of all ages to theaters. – Luis Olloqui

‘Backrooms’ evolved from an online creepypasta into a viral web series, drawing the attention of major production companies. The film features performances from Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve. The movie’s global earnings total $118 million, making Parsons the youngest director globally with a number one film. It marks a record opening for A24, surpassing its previous record set by ‘Civil War’ in 2024.

The audience for ‘Backrooms’ was characterized by its youthfulness, with 86% under 35 and many attending in groups. Some theaters implemented measures to ensure under-21 attendees are accompanied by adults, contributing to its B- CinemaScore but still fostering excitement.

‘Obsession’ now ranks as the highest-grossing domestic release for Focus Features, accumulating $104.7 million. In contrast, ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ saw a significant drop, earning a total of $246.6 million globally. Other notable films include ‘Michael’ in fourth and ‘The Breadwinner’ finishing the top five.

This weekend revealed the cinematic appeal of YouTube creators, potentially signaling shifts in Hollywood’s approach to productions and releases, as noted by Paul Dergarabedian from Comscore. He highlighted this shift not only in production but also in altering perceptions of the summer movie season.

Top 10 movies by domestic box office, with estimated sales from Friday through Sunday, according to Comscore:

• 1. “Backrooms,” $81.5 million.
• 2. “Obsession,” $26.4 million.
• 3. “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” $25 million.
• 4. “Michael,” $11.7 million.
• 5. “The Breadwinner,” $7.5 million.
• 6. “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” $5.9 million.
• 7. “Pressure,” $5.8 million.
• 8. “The Sheep Detectives,” $4.6 million.
• 9. “Passenger,” $2.6 million.
• 10. “Mortal Kombat II,” $2 million.