A24’s ‘Backrooms’ Surpasses ‘Us’ to Secure 11th Place in All-Time Domestic Horror

Few genre films have made as significant a cultural impact as ‘Backrooms’, which hit theaters in late May. This feature marks the debut of Kane Parsons, the 20-year-old creator known online as Kane Pixels. He first captivated audiences with the eerie mythology of endless yellow corridors and liminal spaces through a YouTube series that began in 2022, amassing over 200 million views even before the A24 film was announced.

The film’s opening weekend was unprecedented, raking in $81.4 million at the domestic box office and $118 million globally. These figures represent the largest debut ever for an original horror film, more than tripling A24’s previous record set by Alex Garland’s ‘Civil War’ in 2024. Parsons also made history as the youngest filmmaker to debut a movie at number one, surpassing Josh Trank, who was 27 when ‘Chronicle’ topped the charts.

Now, in its fourth weekend, ‘Backrooms’ has entered historic territory. As noted by @Luiz_Fernando_J on X, the film earned $7.3 million during the weekend, despite losing 553 theaters, marking a mere 36.5 percent drop from the previous weekend. This brings its domestic total to $175.2 million, surpassing Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’ at $175.1 million and placing ‘Backrooms’ at number 11 on the all-time domestic horror chart.

A drop of under 37 percent in its fourth weekend, while losing hundreds of screens, indicates that the film continues to attract audiences rather than relying solely on its initial momentum. It received a B minus CinemaScore from its opening weekend viewers and boasts an 88 percent approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, further validating its sustained success. Globally, ‘Backrooms’ has grossed $272.7 million, making it A24’s highest-grossing release ever.

The financial success of the film is remarkable. A24 and Chernin Entertainment co-financed the production for about $10 million, and it has already returned that investment over 16 times through U.S. ticket sales alone, with estimates suggesting a domestic total nearing $190 million. Box office analyst Jeff Bock informed Variety that the intricate mythology of the Backrooms universe fueled a demand comparable to Marvel’s, exceeding even the most optimistic forecasts prior to its opening weekend.

A sequel is already in the works, with Parsons reportedly looking for a screenwriting partner and planning to take a more active role in the script this time. He has also hinted at a potential television expansion, though details remain under wraps. From its origins as a teenager’s YouTube channel, ‘Backrooms’ has evolved into one of the most remarkable success stories in contemporary studio filmmaking. As it inches closer to the top ten in domestic horror history, horror fans are left wondering which title on that all-time list ‘Backrooms’ might surpass before its theatrical run concludes.