Box Office: ‘Backrooms’ $81M U.S, $118MWW Opening Is An A24 Record

SUNDAY AM: A24’s Kane Parsons movie Backrooms is at $81.4M domestic, and $118M WW in what looks to be on a global basis this AM, the No. 1 movie. A24 claims that this is a No. 1 record opening for what is the youngest filmmaker ever, Parsons now 20 years old. The previous youngest filmmaker to have a No. 1 opening was Josh Trank at 27 for 2011’s Chronicle ($22M opening) Certainly this is the biggest opening A24 has ever seen in its 14 year history. Big Gen Z audience here for the Chernin Entertainment co-financed/Blumhouse-Atomic Monster/21 Laps/Odd Fellow production with 88% under 35. Overall, 62% guy leaning. Chernin and A24 co-financed the under $10M production. Half of the audience came because it was an A24 movie, while the other half were Backrooms fans. International filed in exactly where you told it would: $36M.

PLF share of ticket sales remain at 17% with AMC Burbank still the highest grossing venue for the pic with more than $151K.

Yes, yes, as we told you previously, it’s the first time that Blumhouse-Atomic Monster has owned the top two spots at the domestic box office. Focus Features’ third frame of Obsession is coming in at an estimated $26.4M for a running total of $104.7M, the highest grossing movie ever stateside for the Universal specialty label. Saturday was $10.1M, +23% over Friday’s $8.1M. The third weekend is up +10%. The last time that happened with a wide release in its second weekend was with 1982’s E.T.

Will have more updates as they come this morning.

SATURDAY AM: A24’s Kane Parsons internet-born IP Backrooms continues to defy expectations with first day/previews of $38.4M on its way to an opening between $85M-$88M. Some rivals are calling this at $90M, but we won’t know until today is done.

Not only is that far and away a record first day and opening weekend for A24, but people, these are higher numbers than Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu last weekend ($33.7M first day, $81.6M 3-day), and that’s mega IP fired up by a Disney near $100M P&A 360-degree domestic campaign. What’s jaw-dropping about Backrooms is that their campaign is laser-focused and finely curated to its fans, native to the internet with a spend in the ballpark of Neon’s Longlegs (which was under $10M, though Backrooms is a bit higher I understand).

Also, note that Backrooms is going out in 50 offshore territories this weekend and word is that it could beat Mandalorian for the No. 1 spot at the worldwide weekend B.O. Current offshore outlook is an estimated $36M, meaning a global start between $121M-$124M. Pic is launching in such major territories like UK, Italy, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Netherlands, Scandinavia, South Korea, Taiwan and Saudi Arabia.

CinemaScore is a B-. Why are the audience scores not matching the spiking box office? Because the fans are so rabid about property, opinionated to the core about the adaptation, yet in a major want-to-see mode. Also, this is a movie that’s sparking repeat business. Earlier this month at the AERO Los Angeles premiere (which also drew Obsession filmmaker Curry Barker), there was an attendee who boasted that he had already seen Backrooms three times. That speaks to the obsession (no pun intended) to Backrooms‘ frandom. In PostTrak exits, Backrooms remains 53% in definite recommend, 68% positive, three stars, with women under 25 the biggest demo at 24% and the best grades at 72%.

Backrooms is playing evenly across the country with the top grossing venue being the AMC Burbank in LA with $93K.

Diversity demos on Backrooms are 38% Caucasian, 33% Latino and Hispanic, 13% Black, 10% Asian American and 6% Native American/other.

Focus Features’ Obsession continues to defy odds as the YouTube creators on the big screen takes effect, +19% in its third weekend with $28.5M in second place. What wide release (not platform) has ever done that?! It’s rare, mind-boggling air. Arguably the last time a wide release spiked in its third weekend (on a non-platform basis) was 1982’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which was up +9%. The Barker pic is only up 126 locations this weekend to 2,781. Running cume by EOD Sunday is $106.8M, which is the highest grossing movie at the domestic box office for Focus Features, besting Downton Abbey‘s $97M (Focus only had Coraline in its initial run, which did $75.2M stateside, though the pic has a lifetime gross through Fathom re-releases of $116.8M).

Neither Backrooms or Obsession have Imax screens, and yet, both are explosive with the 13-24 set this weekend. Backrooms has some PLFs which are driving 17% of the weekend. Backrooms‘ biggest demo remains 18-24 (43%) followed by 25-34 (25%) and 13-17 at 20%. Under 35 is a massive 88% bigger than Marty Supreme (70%), and Five Nights at Freddy’s (89%). The average age for Backrooms is 25.2 years old.

In A24 internal polls, more than 50% of the crowd came because it’s one of their films, while 30% came for Parsons (PostTrak exits show 27%) and 58% for the Backrooms creepypasta in the movie.

Also, let the record show that two Blumhouse-Atomic Monster movies are leading the box office this weekend. And in a total anomaly, Blumhouse-Atomic Monster can also brag that they have three movies in the top 10, which is a first, after you count Mortal Kombat II.

As we said, a lot of fathers, with the success of the under $10M budgeted Backrooms, not just Blumhouse, but there’s the co-financier Chernin Entertainment, Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps and Odd Fellow.

Meanwhile, Disney/Lucasfilm’s Mandalorian and Grogu is taking a big fall, -69%, maybe steeper, with $25M in weekend 2. That’s a bigger crash than Solo: A Star Wars Story which -65% in weekend 2, likely the worst drop for a Star Wars movie. The argument per distribution sources is that the Jon Favreau movie didn’t lose audiences to Backrooms and Obsession, it’s just that the core Star Wars subset fandom for this IP is finite. One distribution source says, “Six weeks from now, it will be interesting to see the following: Mandalorian and Grogu will be at $180M, and Obsession and Backrooms not too far behind, if not ahead.” Ten-day cume by EOD tom’w is $137.3M, -8% behind the same frame as Solo which ended its North American run at $213.7M. Again, Star Wars fans weren’t asking for this movie. And if you’re going to use the “theme parks and merchandise” get-out-of-jail card, Disney, anyone who has a Grogu doll isn’t buying another.

And there are another two wide openers this weekend, and that’s Sony’s Nate Bargatze family movie The Breadwinner ($7.5M in fifth place at 3,252 sites off the discounted “Nate-Rate” at cinemas) and Focus Features/StudioCanal’s WWII movie Pressure ($5.4M in 7th place at 1,829 theaters).

The upside with The Breadwinner is that Sony kept it cheap at a net $25M and it’s getting an A- CinemaScore from the people who saw it with an OK 59% definite recommend. It’s a higher opening than the previous family-like, stand-up comedian comedy, Lionsgate’s 2023’s About My Father, which opened to $4.3M. However, what’s clear is that the algorithm between Netflix stand-up comedians’ success and the box office isn’t math-ing out, and that’s in regards to demand. That said, perhaps this legs given its scores. Gotta give Sony props for at least diversifying slate and not giving up on original comedies on the big screen. The PG-rated comedy is skewing 59% female and playing in the South, Midwest, South Central and Mountain, but weakest on the coasts. The AMC Thoroughbred in Tennessee is the leading single-location gross at $12.4K. Breakdown is 71% general audiences, 15% parents and 14% kids under 12 per PostTrak. Diversity demos are 71% Caucasian, 14% Hispanic and Latino, 6% Black and 1% Asian American.

Pressure gets a solid A CinemaScore from its very older skewing attendees (47% were over 55, 59% were over 45). The opening here isn’t far from Focus Features’ Conclave which in its first weekend was $6.6M at 1,753 theaters. Among war pics, it’s lower than the Pre-Covid 2019 Roland Emmerich-directed Midway (a wide opener, mind you, at $17.8M at 3,242 theaters), but very similar to the Jonathan Majors Korean War Navy pilot pic Devotion ($5.9M star at 3,405). Devotion ended its run at $20.5M, with Conclave a big destination for older audiences during awards season 2024-25 with $32.5M. Biggest demos are guys over 25 (51%) followed by women over 25 (37%), men under 25 (7%) and women under 25 (5%). Definite recommendation is very high from overall audiences for the Anthony Maras-directed D-Day epic at 81%, with the over 55 set loving it at 91%. The pic is playing best in the South and pretty much even throughout the country with NYC AMC Lincoln Square the biggest venue at $18K.

The chart as of Saturday AM:

Power Ballad (LG) 10 theaters, Fri $78K 3-day $186K/PSA $18,6K/Wk 1
Hearing numbers are alight in in its LA, NYC, Phoenix, Chicago and Austin limited launch for this Nick Jonas and Paul Rudd movie. Critics are very good with an 87% certified fresh score on RT.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: Kane Parsons knows how to connect with the under-35 demo (a massive 87% turnout since Thursday night) with Backrooms now on track to hoard a $76M to $79M after a $33M-$35M Friday at 3,442 theaters, which includes thursday night’s $10.4M. And yes, don’t be shocked to see it hit $80M.

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What’s interesting is that the A24/Chernin Entertainment co-financed movie isn’t even hurting business for Focus Features’ Curry Barker romance horror Obsession, which is going over $100M in its third frame after what’s shaping up to be a 3-day of $25M at 2,780 theaters in second, +5% (holy mother of cows!) after a third Friday of $7M.

Disney/Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, despite the force of Imax, is eyeing third with a second weekend of $24M after a $6.5M Friday at 4,300. If those numbers stick, that’s a 69% second-weekend drop, steeper than Solo: A Star Wars Story‘s second weekend, which was down by 65% with $29.3M. Ten-day cume is $136.3M.

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Lionsgate’s Michael refuses to get off the dance floor with a fourth place and sixth weekend take of $13M-$16M at 3,118 locations after a $3M Friday for a running cume between $341.2M–$344.2M. This easily will put the Antoine Fuqua movie past The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 at the domestic B.O. ($337.1M) among Lionsgate’s top grossing; the Michael Jackson biopic already passed Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 ($281.7M).

Sony’s Nate Bargatze-led The Breadwinner is seeing $2.5M-$3M today, and $7.5M to $8M for the weekend at 3,252 sites. The pic is playing to the middle of the country, with audiences enjoying it at 85%. But critics don’t get it at 25%.

Focus Features and StudioCanal’s WWII movie Pressure is looking at a $5M opening after a $2.4M Friday. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes like the Andrew Scott-Brendan Fraser movie at 85% fresh. No RT audience score yet.

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FRIDAY AM UPDATE AFTER EXCLUSIVE: A24/Chernin Entertainment’s Backrooms is higher in its Thursday night previews with $10.4M, a figure that’s close to another beloved fan IP-turned-big-screen pic, Five Nights at Freddy’s ($10.3M in 2023). Blumhouse-Atomic Monster was a producer on that genre title. It’s also a record for A24, beating Civil War‘s $2.9M previews in 2024.

Screen Engine/Rentrak exits show a massive turnout by the 18-24 bunch at 43%. The 18-34 combined was 76%. The inclination is to shoot from the hip and say this movie will open to $80M+, but heck, even if it’s $60M, that’s pretty damn good. I mean, three weeks ago the outlook on early tracking was $20M for the Kane Parsons-directed movie.

As we told you earlier this week, Backrooms also will be the best opening ever for A24 at the domestic box office, beating 2024’s Civil War ($25.5M).

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Thursday night PostTrak exits — reminding you that Thursday night always is fan-filled, so the scores tend to be higher versus before the audience expands throughout the weekend — show a 52% definite recommend and 3 stars, with a 67% positive. Guys-to-women ratio was 60%-40%. Men over 25 leading at 31%, men under 25 at 29%, women under 25 at 26%, and women over 25 at 14%. Women under 25 gave the first-person, videogame-like feature its best scores at 75% positive and a 60% definite recommend. This movie wasn’t for anyone over 35 last night: They only showed up at 12%!

As a refresher, the 3Arts Entertainment-repped Parsons (online handle: Kane Pixel), first launched the early iteration of Backrooms on 4chan which then spread on Reddit when was 16. The IP morphed into Roblox and Minecraft games and was then transformed into a found-footage YouTube series created via Blender and Unreal Engine, which amassed north of 190 million views. Oscar nominees Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve star alongside Mark Duplass.

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Also, in continuing YouTube creator news, Curry Barker’s Obsession beat Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu again in its weekdays with a Thursday estimated win of $4.8M to $3.4M.

Here’s how the week went down:

1) Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (Dis) 4,300 theaters, Wk $112.3M/Wk 1

2) Obsession (Foc) 2,655 theaters, Wk $47.9M (+58%)/Total $78.3M/Wk 2

3) Michael (LG) 3,306 theaters, Wk $33.9M (-10%), Total $328.1M/Wk 5

4) The Devils Wears Prada 2 (Dis) 3,300 theaters, Wk $19.9M (-22%), Total $203.4M/Wk 4

5) The Sheep Detectives (Amz) 3,207 theaters, Wk $15.3M (+9%), Total $49.9M/Wk 3

6) Passenger (Par) 2,534 theaters, Wk 12.6M/Wk 1

EXCLUSIVE: There’s a lot of cash getting stuffed in those Backrooms. The Kane Parsons feature take of his digital IP is racking up $9M in previews, which began at 4PM.

We told you presales were at a crazy blockbuster level, around Scream 7‘s three months ago. Well, guess what? The previews here for A24’s Backrooms are ahead of Scream 7‘s $7.8M, as well as 2023’s John Wick: Chapter 4 ($8.9M) and not far from Eternals ($9.5M) and Five Night’s at Freddy’s ($10.3M), the latter being another fervent fan-driven property. The opening range for those movies is between $63.6M and $80M, and many distribution sources now are giddy that this R-rated genre movie easily will blow past its most recent forecast of $40M-$45M. Again, it’s all about how front-loaded this is. As of tracking this AM, Backrooms was hot with men and women under 25 and not far from the first choice for Final Destination: Bloodlines ($51.6M opening).

Success has many fathers, and those are Atomic Monster-Blumhouse, 21 Laps, Odd Fellow and Chernin Entertainment on Parsons’ feature directorial debut. The latter co-financed this pic for under $10M with A24. From the sounds of it, Backrooms looks to be in the black by the end of the weekend.

Currently, critics are outweighing audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, 88% to 74%, for this movie which follows a therapist (Sentimental Value Oscar nominee Renate Reinsve) who goes looking for patient (12 Years a Slave Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor) in his desolate furniture store. An freakish alternate universe is found within.

In another rally for movies from YouTube creators, Curry Barker’s Obsession from Focus Features and Blumhouse/Atomic Monster beat Disney/Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu on Wednesday, $5.6M to $4.1M. Running cume for Obsession stands at $73.5M to Mando and Baby Yoda’s $108.8M. Obsession is now the No. 1 movie for the week in some prolific theaters including AMC Empire in Times Square and Regal Union Square in NYC. The question now is how hard will Mandalorian and Grogu fall with a double feature of Obsession and Backrooms on marquees?