20-year-old director Ken Parsons has delivered the biggest box office hit of the year with his psychological horror film, back room. Based on a viral internet concept, The Hollywood film managed to transition from the digital realm to hit the big screen, setting a new opening record for independent studio A24.
A24’s biggest opening ever
Hitting theaters internationally on May 29, 2026, Backroom blew away all early industry projections. As reported by Variety, the film grossed a whopping $38.4 million on its opening Friday, including $10.4 million from Thursday night previews, and is on track to end its three-day first weekend with an impressive $85 million to $90 million. Given that the film was made on a highly efficient budget of $10 million, its immediate commercial success marks a major turning point for online creators breaking into mainstream Hollywood.
Previously, A24’s highest-grossing opening weekend was that of the 2024 thriller Civil War, which debuted with $25.5 million. Even more impressive is how the indie horror film managed to outcompete the massive studio competition. Its projected debut is on track to surpass Disney’s big-budget Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, which grossed $81.6 million in its opening weekend just a week earlier.
plot
The story focuses on Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a small-town furniture store owner who is struggling to keep his business afloat. His life changes completely when he discovers a strange, glowing door hidden in the basement of his showroom. This portal leads directly into the Backroom, an infinite, unstable maze of empty, pale rooms that increasingly begins to distort and unravel its grip on reality.
As Clark disappears into the dimension and is consumed by its sinister atmosphere, his therapist, Marie (Renate Reinsway), begins to notice his sudden disappearance. His investigation eventually leads him straight to the hidden door, and pulls him into the exact same surreal nightmare.
The film delivers its terrifying, psychological scares with performances from Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, and Lucita Maxwell. Ken Parsons teamed up with a huge powerhouse line-up of Hollywood producers, including horror icons James Wan, Shawn Levy, and Osgood Perkins.
From Internet Creepypasta to Blockbuster Film
Before becoming a box-office success, Backroom began as a viral internet image showing an endless yellow hallway lit with fluorescent lights. This terrifying photo spread across platforms like 4chan and Reddit, where users created stories around the mysterious setting, eventually turning it into a popular horror myth about people trapped in strange, endless places.
The concept gained mainstream attention in 2022 when Ken Parsons, then a teenager, released The Backrooms (Found Footage) on YouTube. Created using self-taught visual effects skills, the short film went viral and attracted millions of viewers. Its success eventually attracted the attention of A24, who contracted Parsons to direct a feature-length adaptation, making him the youngest filmmaker in the studio’s history.
india release date
A24 psychological horror film Backroom is scheduled to hit Indian theaters on June 12, 2026. Distributed by PVR INOX Pictures, the film has been postponed by two weeks in India.