The 5 Box Office Records ‘Backrooms’ Just Broke In One Weekend

InnovationGamingThe 5 Box Office Records ‘Backrooms’ Just Broke In One WeekendByPaul Tassi,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. News and opinion about video games, television, movies and the internet.Follow AuthorJun 01, 2026, 11:13am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.BackroomsA24This weekend, Backrooms earned $81.4 million domestically and $118 million globally. The horror film, spawned from a YouTube series which was spawned from a copypasta forum horror story, is now the talk of Hollywood alongside Obsession, the two changing the perception of what can be a massive hit in the industry.Backrooms is not just big. Between its director, distributor and its overall numbers, it has set a number of industry records that are worth listing out, possibly more, depending on how deep into the metrics you want to get. But the major ones:Kane Parsons, age 20, is now the youngest director to helm a #1 box office film globallyParsons also now has the record for the largest opening weekend for a first-time feature director on an original filmBackrooms is A24’s biggest opening weekend everBackrooms is the biggest R-rated opening weekend of 2026, and now in the top 15 R-rated openings of all timeBackrooms is the largest original horror movie debut in historyBackroomsA24That last one is significant, as what it’s being compared to are some of the heaviest hitters in horror history and, as mentioned, none are original IPs, either adaptations or sequels. We have:IT - $123 million domestic opening weekendIT: Chapter Two - $91 million domestic opening weekendThe Conjuring: Last Rites - $84 million domestic opening weekendBackrooms - $81.5 million domestic opening weekendFive Nights at Freddy’s - $80 million domestic opening weekendThe IT movies are obviously two of dozens of Stephen King book adaptations. The Conjuring is a finale sequel to a long-ru...