‘Backrooms’ Sets A24 Record With $81 Million Opening Weekend—Beating Out ‘Obsession’ And ‘Mandalorian’

BreakingBusiness‘Backrooms’ Sets A24 Record With $81 Million Opening Weekend—Beating Out ‘Obsession’ And ‘Mandalorian’ByTy Roush,Forbes Staff. Ty Roush is a breaking news reporter based in New York City.Follow AuthorMay 31, 2026, 12:15pm EDTToplineThe psychological thriller “Backrooms” grossed $81 million to top the domestic box office during its opening weekend, according to multiple reports, a record for the A24 studio, which claimed the flick made its 20-year-old director the youngest to have a top-selling film. A24 said its 20-year-old director is the youngest ever to top the box office. A24Key Facts“Backrooms,” a film based on a popular YouTube series, collected $81 million from North American theaters and $36 million elsewhere as of Sunday, the highest-grossing opening weekend for an A24-distributed film, Deadline reported (the studio’s “Civil War” grossed $25.5 million in 2024).A24 claimed the opening weekend made director Kane Parsons the youngest to top the box office charts, far surpassing the then-27-year-old Josh Trank for “Chronicle” in 2011 ($27 million), according to Deadline.“Obsession” grossed $26.4 million at the domestic box office in its third weekend, totaling $148 million worldwide across its run, and “Star Wars: Mandalorian and Grogu” collected $53 million worldwide for a running total of $246.6 million as domestic sales dropped 69% to $25 million this weekend. The Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” brought in $12.6 million this weekend at the domestic box office, bringing its worldwide total to $845 million, as it is projected to soon outpace “Bohemian Rhapsody” ($911 million) as the highest-grossing music biopic ever, Variety reported. if (!window.cnxel) { window.cnxel = {}; window.cnxel.cmd = []; var iframe = document.createElement('iframe'); iframe.style.display = 'none'; iframe.onload = function() { var iframeDoc = iframe.contentWindow.document; var script = iframeDoc.createElement('script'); script.src = '//cd.elements.video/player.js?cid=...