Backrooms is still in its opening week, but the A24 horror movie has raked in $118 million worldwide so far, putting it at the top of this week’s global box office.
The film, based on the Internet mythos of the same name, is written and directed by Kane Parsons, the YouTuber-turned-filmmaker who first found viral fame by posting videos inspired by the urban legend. At only 20 years old, Parsons has broken the record for the youngest director with a No. 1 opening. The previous record-holder was Josh Trank, at 27, for his sci-fi thriller Chronicle in 2012 (which opened at $22 million). Backrooms has also given A24 its highest-grossing opening weekend to date, and is more than recouping its budget of roughly $10 million.
Parsons isn’t the only horror filmmaker making waves this year. As of writing, fellow YouTuber Curry Barker and his horror offering Obsession have brought in a total of $104.7 million at the global box office. Now in its third week, Obsession has only risen in ticket sales, earning well beyond its $750,000 budget.
Established figures in the world of horror are singing praises for Backrooms and Obsession, with Blumhouse Productions CEO Jason Blum and filmmaker Jason Wan (both of whom served as producers on Backrooms) lauding Parsons and Barker for breaking records.
“What I think is so incredible about Obsession and Backrooms is that they’re a new kind of movie,” Blum said in a recent panel on the state of cinema. “They’re made by non-traditional directors, directors who really honed their skills as creators online.”
“I’ve been a horror fan since I was a kid, and so naturally I grew up on a steady diet of horror movies through the ‘80s and ‘90s, inspired by great filmmakers like John Carpenter and Wes Craven,” added Wan. “I look at them and think, ‘You know what? I kind of want to do what they did.’ Today, we kind of mimic that model. And here we are. I say this to anyone who will listen: The horror genre keeps saving our industry.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Backrooms debuted to $118 million worldwide in its opening week, giving A24 its highest-grossing opening weekend to date — more than recouping its roughly $10 million budget.
Kane Parsons is a 20-year-old YouTuber-turned-filmmaker who wrote and directed Backrooms, making him the youngest director ever to open at No. 1 — breaking the previous record held by Josh Trank, who was 27 when Chronicle debuted in 2012.
Now in its third week, Obsession has earned $104.7 million globally on a budget of just $750,000 — and its ticket sales have continued to rise rather than decline.
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Both films were made by non-traditional directors who built their craft online, with Kane Parsons and Curry Barker each coming from a YouTube background before making their feature debuts.
Wan, who produced Backrooms, argues that horror has a multigenerational model — the same one that inspired filmmakers like John Carpenter and Wes Craven — that continues to draw audiences to cinemas in a way few other genres can sustain.
