Kane Parsons Shatters A24 Record as Backrooms Dominates Box Office

Backrooms is making waves at the box office right out of the gate.

The horror film, helmed by director Kane Parsons, pulled in over $81 million during its opening weekend—a stunning debut that rewrites the record books for A24. The achievement marks the studio's largest opening weekend ever, surpassing 2024's Civil War, which previously held the distinction with $25.5 million.

The numbers also make Parsons, at just 20 years old, the youngest filmmaker to ever land a No. 1 position at the domestic box office. The previous record holder was Josh Trank, who achieved the feat in 2012 with Chronicle when he was 27 years old.

Created on a modest budget of $10 million, Backrooms has already accumulated $118 million globally since its release.

The film follows a disillusioned architect, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, who discovers an inexplicable labyrinth of interconnected rooms hidden within the furniture store where he works. The ensemble cast includes Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, and Lukita Maxwell.

The movie draws its inspiration from Parsons' viral YouTube series of the same name, which captivated audiences online with its eerie take on liminal space horror. The concept taps into a growing fascination with unsettling, mundane environments reimagined as sources of terror.