A24's 'Backrooms' Sets Box Office Record With $81 Million Opening Weekend
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A24's horror film 'Backrooms', directed by 20-year-old YouTube creator Kane Parsons, earned $81 million domestically in its opening weekend, setting a new record for the studio and for original horror debuts. Focus Features' 'Obsession', also directed by a YouTube star, crossed the $100 million domestic mark in its third weekend. Disney's 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' saw a significant drop but remains a major global earner.
Facts First
- 'Backrooms' earned $81 million from 3,442 theaters in its opening weekend, surpassing A24's previous record held by 'Civil War'.
- The film is a record-breaking debut for original horror and for a first-time filmmaker on a non-franchise project.
- Director Kane Parsons, age 20, is the youngest person to helm a No. 1 film at the box office.
- 'Obsession' earned $26.4 million in its third weekend, crossing $100 million domestically on a $1 million budget.
- 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' earned $25 million in its second weekend, a 70% drop, but has grossed $246.6 million globally.
What Happened
A24's horror film 'Backrooms' earned $81 million from 3,442 North American theaters during its opening weekend, far exceeding early projections. This sets a new opening weekend record for A24, surpassing the $25.5 million record set by Alex Garland's 'Civil War' in 2024. The film, directed by 20-year-old YouTube creator Kane Parsons, achieved the biggest debut in history for an original horror film. It has earned $118 million globally against a production budget of approximately $10 million.
Focus Features' 'Obsession', directed by 26-year-old YouTube creator Curry Barker, earned $26.4 million in its third weekend, crossing the $100 million mark domestically. The film has grossed $106 million against a $1 million production budget. According to Focus, it is the first film since 1982 to see ticket sales increases in its second and third weekends outside of the holiday season.
Disney's 'Star Wars' spinoff 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' experienced a 70% drop in its second weekend, earning $25 million from 4,300 venues and ranking third on the weekend charts. It has generated $137.4 million domestically and $246.6 million globally.
Other notable performances included Sony's family comedy 'The Breadwinner', which earned $7.6 million and ranked in the top five, and Focus Features' war drama 'Pressure', which debuted at No. 7 with $5.4 million from 1,829 venues.
Why this Matters to You
If you enjoy horror or follow online creators, you may see more films from YouTube stars transitioning to major studio releases. The strong performance of lower-budget films like 'Backrooms' and 'Obsession' could encourage studios to invest in similar projects, which might lead to a wider variety of films in theaters. For families, the performance of comedies like 'The Breadwinner' suggests there is still an audience for mid-budget family films.
What's Next
'Backrooms' is projected to gross between $85 million and $90 million through the weekend, suggesting its strong opening momentum is likely to continue. 'Obsession' is expected to make another $28 million by Sunday, indicating its unique growth pattern may persist. The continued success of these films could lead studios to further collaborations with online creators. The broader box office landscape appears to be welcoming a mix of franchise films and original, creator-driven projects.