Backrooms Hits $100 Million at the Domestic Box Office and Shatters A24 Record

A24's horror sensation Backrooms has raced past a major milestone, becoming the studio's highest-grossing film ever in North America after clearing $100 million in domestic ticket sales in a blistering six days.

The psychological thriller, directed by 20-year-old YouTube creator Kane Parsons in his feature debut, opened to a stunning $81.4 million over the Memorial Day weekend. That haul instantly set a new benchmark as A24's largest opening weekend ever, more than tripling the previous record held by Civil War at $25.5 million. Adding another $36 million from international markets gave the film a global start of $118 million on a reported budget of just under $10 million.

By Wednesday, June 3, Backrooms had pushed past the $100 million domestic threshold, overtaking Marty Supreme (which topped out at $96 million) to claim the top spot in A24's domestic history. The speedy climb marks the first time any A24 title has reached nine figures in the United States.

Critics have embraced the film, awarding it an 89 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviewers praise its hypnotic production design and deeper explorations of trauma and modern alienation. Parsons adapted the project from his viral YouTube short-film series inspired by the Backrooms creepypasta, transforming the concept of endless, liminal office spaces into a feature-length nightmare starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as a salesman trapped in the void.

Audience turnout has been driven largely by younger moviegoers, with post-track data showing nearly 85 percent of ticket buyers under 35 and more than half aged 25 or younger. The buzz helped the film hold strong through its early weekdays, including a Monday take of $7.6 million that stands as the best ever for a June R-rated horror release.

The breakout success also handed Parsons another distinction: at 20 years old, he is now the youngest director ever to land a number-one film at the box office, beating the prior record set by Josh Trank with Chronicle in 2012.

While some longtime fans of the original Backrooms lore have noted the absence of certain signature elements like entities and almond water, theater audiences have still packed screenings and even recreated iconic shots on social media. The film's momentum shows no signs of slowing as it heads into its second weekend, where it is expected to continue dominating the domestic chart.

With its low budget and sky-high returns, Backrooms stands as one of the most impressive box-office surprises of 2026 and a fresh reminder of A24's knack for turning viral internet phenomena into theatrical gold.