Backrooms film shatters A24 box‑office records worldwide

Kane Parsons, a 20‑year‑old director who rose from a YouTube series, helmed the horror film Backrooms for A24. The movie stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve and Mark Duplass and adapts the internet creepypasta of endless office‑like corridors.

Backrooms opened to a historic debut: US $81.4 million in its first weekend and a worldwide total of $118 million, making it the biggest opening ever for an A24 title and the highest‑grossing debut for an original horror film in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Brazil. In the U.K. it earned £4.2 million, the strongest opening for any A24 release there, while in Brazil it sold 412 000 tickets and generated R$9.5 million. The film also set a record in Fiji and topped box‑office charts in several other markets.

Parsons became the youngest director to top the U.S. box office, surpassing the previous record held by Josh Trank. Critical response has been broadly positive, with many reviewers highlighting the film’s inventive use of liminal‑space horror. Following the success, A24 and Parsons are already discussing a sequel, “Backrooms 2,” and possible further expansions of the franchise.