20-year-old director Kane Parsons has scored one of the year’s biggest box office shocks with his psychological horror film, Backrooms. Based on a viral internet concept, the Hollywood movie successfully jumped from a digital niche to a massive big-screen hit, setting a new opening record for independent studio A24.
A24’s biggest opening ever
Landing in theaters on May 29, 2026 internationally, Backrooms blew past all early industry estimates. As reported by Variety, the film brought in a massive $38.4 million on its opening Friday, a figure that includes $10.4 million from Thursday night previews and is on track to finish its three-day debut weekend with a staggering $85 million to $90 million. Given that the movie was made on a highly efficient $10 million budget, its immediate commercial breakout marks a major turning point for online creators entering mainstream Hollywood.
Prior to this, A24’s highest-grossing opening weekend belonged to the 2024 thriller Civil War, which debuted at $25.5 million. Even more impressive is how the indie horror film managed to edge out massive studio competition. Its projected debut is on track to outpace Disney’s heavily budgeted Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, which brought in $81.6 million during its own opening weekend just a week prior.
The plot
The story focuses on Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a small-town furniture store owner struggling to keep his business afloat. His life changes completely when he uncovers a bizarre, glowing doorway hidden deep in the basement of his showroom. This portal leads directly into the Backrooms, a seemingly infinite, unsettling maze of empty, yellow-hued rooms that quickly begins to warp and unravel his grip on reality.
As Clark vanishes into the dimension and becomes consumed by its haunting atmosphere, his therapist, Mary (Renate Reinsve), begins looking into his sudden disappearance. Her investigation eventually leads her straight to the hidden doorway, dragging her into the exact same surreal nightmare.
The film anchors its eerie, psychological dread with performances from Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, and Lukita Maxwell. Kane Parsons teamed up with a massive powerhouse line-up of Hollywood producers, including horror icon James Wan, Shawn Levy, and Osgood Perkins.
From internet creepypasta to blockbuster movie
Before becoming a box-office success, Backrooms started as a viral internet image showing endless yellow hallways lit by fluorescent lights. The eerie photograph spread across platforms like 4chan and Reddit, where users built stories around the mysterious setting, eventually turning it into a popular horror myth about people becoming trapped in strange, endless spaces.
The concept gained mainstream attention in 2022 when Kane Parsons, then a teenager, released The Backrooms (Found Footage) on YouTube. Created using self-taught visual effects skills, the short film went viral and attracted millions of viewers. Its success eventually caught the attention of A24, which signed Parsons to direct a feature-length adaptation, making him the youngest filmmaker in the studio’s history.
India release date
The A24 psychological horror film Backrooms is set to arrive in Indian cinemas on June 12, 2026. Distributed by PVR INOX Pictures, the film is postponed in India by two weeks.