A24’s Backrooms has broken box-office records after opening to a huge $118 million globally. The new horror film, directed by YouTube creator Kane Parsons, earned $81.4 million at the domestic box office and $118 million worldwide during its opening weekend, making it A24’s biggest-ever debut.
The result also makes Backrooms the biggest horror opening of 2026 so far, following a strong year for the genre that has already included major performances from Scream 7, Send Help and Obsession.
In the UK and Ireland, Backrooms also topped the weekend box office with £4.3 million, setting a new record for the biggest opening for an original horror film in the territory. Using a GBP to USD conversion rate of 1.34, that works out at roughly $5.8 million.
The film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve and follows a therapist and her patient as they discover a dimension of endless liminal spaces beneath a store. Parsons makes his feature directorial debut, after first developing Backrooms as a viral web series inspired by internet horror mythology.
The opening is a major result for A24, which has steadily built a strong identity in horror with films including Hereditary, Talk to Me and Midsommar. Backrooms has now taken that reputation into blockbuster territory, giving the studio one of its biggest commercial moments yet.
For CultureCues, this is a fascinating box-office story because it says a lot about where horror is heading. Backrooms began as internet lore, grew through YouTube and has now turned into a record-breaking cinema release. That is a huge leap, and one that shows how online horror culture can move from niche obsession to mainstream event when the audience is already waiting for it. It is also a pretty wild moment for A24. The studio has spent years building trust with horror fans, and Backrooms appears to have turned that trust into a full box-office phenomenon. The liminal spaces have officially gone mainstream.
Nikki Murray is a UK-based writer, screenwriter and founder & editor of CultureCues, covering film, television, music and pop culture. Her work focuses on storytelling and the moments shaping modern entertainment.