Backrooms Has The Setup To Become A24’s Highest-Grossing Horror Movie Yet

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A24’s 2026 release, Backrooms, is generating a lot of excitement and could become their most successful horror film yet. Director Kane Parsons already had a dedicated following thanks to his popular YouTube series – the original video had 79 million views by May 2026 – and his channel boasts over 3.1 million subscribers. This established fanbase helped Parsons secure funding and talent from A24 to bring his series to the big screen.

The film Backrooms is inspired by the popular online story called “Backrooms.” The story follows a fictional research group, Async, as they explore and study this strange place. The film’s creator, Parsons, initially made a viral video about the Backrooms, which has been viewed 79 million times, and later produced 24 related videos. Now, Parsons is directing a Backrooms movie written by Will Soodik. The movie centers on Dr. Mary Kline (played by Renate Reinsve), a therapist who enters the Backrooms to search for her patient, Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor).

Ebaster gave the film a 7 out of 10, with critic Graeme Guttmann noting that Backrooms creates suspense through atmosphere rather than relying on jump scares. The movie currently has an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 78 reviews, a promising sign for its release. Variety predicts it will earn over $45 million in its opening weekend, which would be a significant success for A24.

Backrooms Has A Built-In Audience From The Internet

A24’s interest in the Backrooms movie stems from its origins as a widely known creepypasta. It began with a post on 4chan on May 12, 2019, featuring a photo of a desolate, yellow room with fluorescent lights, posing the question of what happens when someone seemingly glitches out of reality. This post sparked Kane Parsons to create his viral short film, released on January 7, 2022, when he was just 16 years old.

The nine-minute short film has already been viewed 79 million times, and the creator’s channel has a total of 341 million views. The trailer for his upcoming movie is also gaining traction, with over 10 million views. Since being released on YouTube, Backrooms has become incredibly popular, even becoming a major feature in the Roblox game Red Panda Industries Backrooms, which has been visited over 123 million times. The game clearly has a dedicated and enthusiastic fanbase eager for its continued success.

2026 has already seen its second film adapted from an online phenomenon. The horror movie Iron Lung, released January 30th, was directed by Mark Fischbach, better known as the popular YouTuber Markiplier. With 38.6 million subscribers, Markiplier originally gained attention for a 2022 Iron Lung video that garnered 16 million views. The R-rated film went on to earn $51 million globally.

The movie Backrooms has the backing of A24, meaning it will likely stay in theaters longer than Iron Lung, which was released independently. A24 is also heavily promoting Backrooms with trailers and positive media coverage. Currently, Backrooms has an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, higher than Iron Lung’s 60%. While audiences loved Iron Lung (giving it an 86% rating), Backrooms is also expected to be well-received by viewers and fans of the original YouTube series by its creator, Parsons.

Backrooms Has A Big Team Behind The A24 Release

I have to say, Backrooms is more than just another A24 film – it’s a real showcase of emerging talent. Director Kane Parsons is only twenty years old, making him the youngest filmmaker A24 has ever worked with! And he didn’t do it alone; he collaborated with screenwriter Will Soodik, and together they adapted the popular online series. What’s really exciting is that these two young creators are clearly speaking to a generation, and they’ve got some serious industry backing to help them do it.

The movie’s producers are well-known names in the horror genre. James Wan, one of the producers, helped create popular franchises like Saw, The Conjuring, and Insidious. Shawn Levy, another producer, has directed commercially successful films, including Deadpool & Wolverine. Rounding out the team is Osgood Perkins, who recently directed the critically acclaimed indie horror films Longlegs and The Monkey.

Featuring acclaimed actors Chiwetel Ejiofor (known for 12 Years a Slave) and Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World), alongside Mark Duplass and others including the impressively tall Robert Bobroczkyi, Backrooms was made on a surprisingly small budget of under $10 million. Despite its talented cast and award-winning producers, it’s considered a low-budget film with the potential to be a major success for A24.

What A24 Horror Movies Have Thrived At The Box Office?

A24, the studio producing the film Backrooms, is known for high-quality independent films, but hasn’t always seen massive commercial success. Only five of their movies have earned over $100 million worldwide, and surprisingly, none of those were horror films. Marty Supreme earned $191 million and was nominated for an Oscar, while the Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once brought in $147 million. The other three films that crossed the $100 million mark are The Drama, Civil War, and Materialists.

Just behind those top five films are A24’s two biggest horror hits: Talk to Me earned $92 million globally, and Hereditary brought in $90 million. Talk to Me started with a $10 million opening weekend and maintained strong ticket sales over time, while Hereditary opened to $13 million and benefited from excellent reviews as it climbed the box office charts. Now, Backrooms is predicted to surpass both of these films in earnings.

The movie Civil War started with $25.5 million in ticket sales and eventually made over $100 million. Now, Backrooms is predicted to potentially earn twice that amount in its opening weekend. Considering it only cost $10 million to make, Backrooms is shaping up to be one of A24’s most profitable horror films. If it makes $50 million in its first weekend, it will be the fourth highest-grossing A24 horror movie ever, following only Talk to Me, Hereditary, and Heretic. A24 seems to have a big success with Backrooms.

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2026-05-28 16:12