In an era dominated by reboots, remakes and sequels, one original horror film has emerged as an unlikely box-office phenomenon.
Backrooms has officially become A24’s highest-grossing film worldwide and the first title from the studio to surpass the $200 million mark at the global box office.
Directed by YouTuber Kane Parsons, the horror sensation achieved the milestone in less than two weeks after its release. The film has earned an impressive $212 million worldwide, including $135 million from the United States and Canada alone.
The movie has now overtaken last year’s Marty Supreme, starring Timothée Chalamet, which previously held the record as A24’s biggest global release with $191 million in ticket sales.
The success of Backrooms has shattered multiple records for the independent studio. At just 20 years old, Parsons has become the youngest director ever to top the box office and the youngest filmmaker to helm an A24 feature film.
The film also delivered the biggest opening weekend in A24 history, generating $81 million across the U.S. and Canada. It stands as the biggest original horror debut ever and became the studio’s highest-grossing film within just four days of release. Most notably, it is the first A24 production to cross the $200 million threshold worldwide.
What makes the achievement even more remarkable is the film’s modest $10 million production budget.
Before becoming a global box-office hit, Backrooms began as a passion project created on a laptop using 3D animation software.
The film originated from Parsons’ viral found-footage YouTube series, which launched in 2022. Comprising 22 videos, the series has amassed more than 25 million views and cultivated a dedicated online following.
Reflecting on his creative approach, Parsons told The Independent that his “world on YouTube, the whole landscape that I’ve grown up with, has necessitated an extreme attention to detail since the beginning.”
That attention to detail ultimately paid off. The online series attracted the interest of A24, which partnered with Parsons to expand the concept into a feature-length film centered on mysterious liminal spaces.
Chris Ferguson, a Vancouver-based producer on Backrooms, said he always believed the project’s online audience would follow it to cinemas because “we were always being true to the series.”
“I think the lesson is to stop underestimating the audience.”
The film follows a furniture store owner, portrayed by Chiwetel Ejiofor, who discovers a hidden doorway inside his shop leading to an endless maze of vacant rooms. When he mysteriously disappears, his therapist, played by Renate Reinsve, ventures into the unknown in an attempt to bring him back.
Alongside A24, the film was produced by Chernin Entertainment, Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps and horror filmmaker James Wan, best known for blockbuster franchises including The Conjuring and Insidious.
Harnaik Singh Rathor is the Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of StudioX News Canada, Canada's multilingual digital news network serving diaspora communities across 44 languages. With a background in media production, public relations, and multicultural communications, he founded StudioX Film and TV Corporation to bridge the gap between mainstream Canadian media and the country's diverse immigrant communities. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), RTDNA Canada, CPRS Vancouver, Unifor, NEPMCC, and the Canada Freelance Union. Based in Surrey, British Columbia. | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harnaiksinghrathor/ | Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/harnaiksinghrathor | Email: editor@studioxnews.ca
