By Eili Cordova
The claustrophobic thriller “Backrooms”directed by young YouTuber Kane Parsons, is crowned the new king of apprehension at the box office in 2026leaving behind established franchises like “Hiss” and projects by established filmmakers like Sam Raimi.
The film, produced by A24, swept its first weekend of release. According to Comscore data, The film grossed an astonishing $81.4 million in the United States. and $118 million worldwide, establishing itself as the biggest apprehension premiere of the year to date.
A golden year for the genre
2026 was already being phenomenal for horror movies. “Send Help,” Sam Raimi’s survival thriller, topped the box office for two consecutive weeks in January. In March, “Hiss 7” debuted to a solid opening of $63 million. More recently, fellow YouTuber Curry Barker created a big surprise hit with the double “Obsession.”
However, “Backrooms” stands above them all, breaking several records in a single weekend and surpassing heavyweights from A24’s own catalogue.
A24, which began as a small independent distributor, is establishing itself in the niche and is now reaping unprecedented box office successes. Last year, “Marty Supreme” gave the production company its highest profits in its 13-year history. But “Backrooms” has already surpassed emblematic titles like “Everything In every single place of abode All at Once”“Uncut Gemstones” and the modern classic “Hereditary.”
With $81.4 million in its opening weekend, “Backrooms” has earned the title of the best premiere in the company’s history.
The viral phenomenon that came from the underground of the net
Part of the magic of “Backrooms” lies in its origins. Parsons developed the lore that was born in the dusty corners of forums like 4chan and Reddit until it becomes a successful web series in 2022.
Now, at just 27 years old, becomes the youngest director to achieve a box office hitsurpassing the record held by Josh Trank with “Memoir” in 2011.
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