Younger audiences swarmed movie theaters this weekend, not for the major franchise film, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, which saw a sharp decline in its second week, but for a low-budget horror film from a 20-year-old newcomer.
Backrooms, distributed by A24 across 3,442 sites in the U.S. and Canada, grossed an impressive $81.5 million in its opening three days. This figure is close to the opening haul of The Mandalorian and Grogu. Directed by YouTuber Kane Parsons, Backrooms had a production budget of only $10 million.
Despite its strong performance, Backrooms did not negatively impact Obsession, another film directed by a YouTuber, Curry Barker, 26. Even after three weekends, Obsession remains steadfast in earnings, experiencing a 10% increase with $26.4 million, thus securing second place, while Star Wars dropped to third with $25 million.
YouTube might represent hope for movie theaters. Recently, theaters also debuted The Breadwinner, a family comedy starring Nate Bargatze, and Pressure, a World War II drama with Brendan Fraser. But, it was the young YouTubers who attracted large crowds. Both Backrooms and Obsession were produced by Blumhouse-Atomic Monster.
Abhijay Prakash, Blumhouse-Atomic Monster’s president, expressed that the weekend’s results validate their strategy of supporting original horror content appealing to young viewers. The company has earned over $10 billion in box office to date. He observed that these young creators, who have vast online success, still cherish the significance of theatrical releases.
Backrooms originated from a creepypasta, a type of internet-generated urban legend. Parsons adapted the concept into a viral web series using Blender, an open-source 3D graphics tool. It piqued interest from production companies, leading to a film featuring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve.
The film was an international hit, earning $118 million globally. A24 noted that Parsons is now the youngest director to have a global number-one film, setting a studio record that surpassed their previous highest opening of $25.5 million for Civil War in 2024.
Though the R-rated film received mixed reviews from critics, a young and diverse crowd flocked to theaters. Exit polls revealed 86% of attendees were under 35, with over half under 25 and 44% under 21. The buzz extends across ages, even attracting teenagers, leading some theaters to enforce age restrictions.
The same excitement applied to Obsession, now the highest domestic grosser for Focus Features, accumulating $104.7 million in North America.
According to Luis Olloqui, Cinépolis USA CEO, their theaters witnessed sellouts amid worries of audience competition between the films. The results showed diverse audiences readily attend when content is appealing.
The Mandalorian and Grogu fell 69% since its premiere, amassing $246.6 million globally. Meanwhile, Michael, a musical biopic, landed fourth, earning $11.7 million six weeks post-release and accruing $339.9 million domestically. The Breadwinner placed fifth with $7.5 million, and Pressure opened in seventh with $5.8 million.
Beyond the top 10, Tuner, a heist-romance, expanded to 452 theaters in its second week, grossing $1.7 million.
Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s trend head, remarked on Hollywood’s search for the next big movie theater draw, suggesting this trend might be it.
Top 10 Movies by Domestic Box Office
- Backrooms, $81.5 million
- Obsession, $26.4 million
- Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, $25 million
- Michael, $11.7 million
- The Breadwinner, $7.5 million
- The Devil Wears Prada 2, $5.9 million
- Pressure, $5.8 million
- The Sheep Detectives, $4.6 million
- Passenger, $2.6 million
- Mortal Kombat II, $2 million