GoKawiilThis weekend was one for the box office history books.
Movie theaters across the nation were jamming with Gen Z crowds, who showed up en masse for not one but two buzzy horror films. A24’s “Backrooms” collected a jaw-dropping, record-breaking $81 million from 3,442 North American theaters in its opening weekend. That’s as ticket sales for the Focus Features breakout “Obsession” jumped again in its third frame with $26.4 million from 2,781 cinemas — and crossed the $100 million mark domestically. Both movies were directed by YouTube stars and cost nearly nothing to produce, upending conventional wisdom about the necessary components for a hit.
“This should empower the industry. There’s a new audience, and they’re waiting for this kind of content,” says analyst Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations. “We knew indie horror was hot, but we didn’t know how hot. It’s actually competing with the big summer blockbusters.”
Popular on Variety
The original fare ruling is especially striking at the start of summer movie season, a period that’s usually dominated by major franchises. Yet Disney’s “Star Wars” spinoff, “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” suffered a catastrophic 70% drop in its second weekend, signaling the property isn’t catering beyond an aging group of core fans. Despite playing on far more screens, “The Mandalorian and Grogu” landed in third place on weekend charts behind “Backrooms” and “Obsession.”
Directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons, “Backrooms” has earned $118 million globally so far. The psychological thriller has obliterated projections, with early tracking suggesting a $40 million to $50 million domestic debut. With a production budget of roughly $10 million, it’s already one of the most profitable movies of the year. Though a sequel hasn’t been announced, Parsons has already started toying with the idea of turning “Backrooms” into a film franchise.
“Backrooms” also set several box office benchmarks: It delivered the largest opening weekend ever for A24, crushing the record set by Alex Garland’s 2024 thriller “Civil War” with $25.5 million. It also ranked as the biggest debut in history for original horror, as well as the best start for a first-time filmmaker on a non-franchise film. Parsons is the youngest director, by far, to have the No. 1 film at the box office. The benchmark was previously held by Josh Trank, who was 27 when 2012’s “Chronicle” opened in first place with $22 million.
Based on Parsons’ hit web series, “Backrooms” follows a furniture store owner (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who finds a secret doorway that leads him to a seemingly endless stretch of nondescript rooms. When he disappears, his therapist (Renate Reinsve) ventures into the unknown to rescue him. Nearly 85% of audiences were under the age of 35, and more than 50% were 25 or younger, according to PostTrak data.
Parsons and Barker are part of a wave of YouTubers who have turned their talents to the big screen — and brought their enormous, youthful fanbases along with them. Earlier this year, YouTube creator Mark Fischback directed, self-financed and distributed the horror film “Iron Lung,” which earned a stellar $50 million against a $3 million budget.
“Whether or not this is ushering in a new era or a paradigm shift for the business remains to be seen, but this YouTube creator-to-big screen pathway should be viewed as complementary,” says Comscore’s head of marketplace trends, Paul Dergarabedian. “It’s a production pipeline that has not existed until now.”
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