Key Takeaways
- A24’s internet‑born horror Backrooms opened with a record‑setting $38.4 M Friday (including $10.4 M Thursday previews) and is on track for an $85‑$88 M domestic three‑day weekend, potentially topping $90 M.
- The film’s marketing spend is modest (≈ Neon’s Longlegs level) yet it is drawing massive under‑35 audiences, especially 18‑24 (43% of viewers) and an overall average age of 25.2.
- International rollout in 50 territories adds an estimated $36 M, pointing to a global opening of $121‑$124 M, positioning Backrooms to challenge The Mandalorian and Grogu for worldwide No. 1.
- Audience scores are modest (CinemaScore B‑, PostTrak 53% definite recommend) but the film enjoys strong repeat viewership and fervent fan engagement, driven by loyalty to the original creepypasta and to A24.
- Focus Features’ Obsession continues to defy expectations, rising +19% in its third weekend to $28.5 M (cume $106.8 M), the highest‑ever domestic gross for the studio.
- Disney/Lucasfilm’s The Mandalorian and Grogu suffers a steep second‑weekend drop (‑69% to ~$25 M), reflecting a finite core Star Wars fanbase for this spin‑off.
- Other new wide releases—Sony’s The Breadwinner ($7.5 M) and Focus/StudioCanal’s Pressure ($5.4 M)—perform modestly, with Pressure earning an A CinemaScore from an older‑skewing crowd.
- Blumhouse‑Atomic Monster now has three titles in the top 10 (including Mortal Kombat II), a first for the partnership.
Backrooms Shatters A24 Records
A24’s Backrooms—the film adaptation of Kane Parsons’ viral creepypasta—opened with a staggering $38.4 M on Friday, bolstered by $10.4 M from Thursday night previews. That figure already surpasses the studio’s previous preview high (Civil War at $2.9 M) and puts the film on pace for an $85‑$88 M three‑day weekend, with some rivals projecting a $90 M finish. If realized, it would be not only A24’s biggest opening ever but also exceed the opening of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu ($33.7 M Friday, $81.6 M 3‑day) despite the latter’s massive Disney‑backed P&A campaign.
What makes the performance remarkable is the film’s lean marketing footprint—reportedly in the same ballpark as Neon’s Longlegs (under $10 M, with Backrooms a notch higher). The campaign is laser‑focused on the property’s native internet community, leveraging forums, Reddit, Roblox, Minecraft, and a found‑footage YouTube series that has amassed over 190 M views.
Domestically, Backrooms is playing evenly across the country, with the top‑grossing venue the AMC Burbank in LA at $93 K. Internationally, the picture is rolling out in 50 offshore territories (UK, Italy, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Netherlands, Scandinavia, South Korea, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, etc.), contributing an estimated $36 M and pushing the global opening to a projected $121‑$124 M—enough to vie for the worldwide No. 1 spot against the Star Wars title.
Audience composition skews heavily young: PostTrak shows 43% of viewers are 18‑24, 25% are 25‑34, and 20% are 13‑17, giving an under‑35 share of 88% (average age 25.2). The film’s strongest advocates are fans of the original creepypasta (58% cited it as a draw) and A24 brand loyalists (over 50% said they came because it’s an A24 film). Despite this fervent base, CinemaScore lands at a B‑ and PostTrak registers 53% definite recommend, 68% positive, indicating that while the core audience is enthusiastic, broader appeal is limited. Nevertheless, repeat business is evident—some attendees reported seeing the film three times already—suggesting strong “stickiness” among the fanbase.
Obsession’s Unprecedented Third‑Weekend Surge
While Backrooms dominates headlines, Focus Features’ Obsession continues its own remarkable trajectory. In its third weekend, the film rose +19% to $28.5 M, bringing its cumulative domestic gross to $106.8 M—the highest ever for Focus Features, surpassing Downton Abbey’s $97 M. The uptick is especially notable because it occurred on a wide‑release (non‑platform) basis, a rarity last seen with E.T. in 1982 (+9%).
Obsession benefits from strong word‑of‑mouth among horror fans and a solid grounding in the YouTube‑creator phenomenon (directed by Curry Barker, produced by Blumhouse/Atomic Monster). Its audience is somewhat older than Backrooms but still skews younger than typical horror fare, and the film’s momentum appears unaffected by the competing Backrooms release—both titles are thriving simultaneously.
Mandalorian’s Steep Decline
Disney/Lucasfilm’s The Mandalorian and Grogu is experiencing a dramatic falloff. After a robust debut ($112.3 M first week), the second weekend plunged to roughly $25 M—a ‑69% drop, steeper than Solo: A Star Wars Story’s ‑65% slide. Ten‑day cume sits at $137.3 M, 8% behind the comparable frame for Solo, which ultimately finished at $213.7 M. Distribution sources attribute the decline to a finite core Star Wars fanbase for this particular spin‑off, noting that the film is not losing viewers to Backrooms or Obsession so much as exhausting its built‑in audience.
Other New Wide Releases
Sony’s The Breadwinner (starring Nate Bargatze) opened modestly at $7.5 M, earning an A‑ CinemaScore and a respectable 59% definite recommend. Its appeal is strongest in the South, Midwest, and Mountain regions, with limited traction on the coasts.
Focus Features/StudioCanal’s WWII drama Pressure premiered with $5.4 M and an A CinemaScore from an older‑skewing audience (47% over 55). The film performs best in the South and is drawing strong definite‑recommend scores among viewers over 55 (91%).
Blumhouse‑Atomic Monster now claims three titles in the top 10 (Obsession, Backrooms, and Mortal Kombat II), marking a first for the partnership.
Conclusion
The weekend’s box‑office narrative is defined by a clash between internet‑native, low‑budget phenomena (Backrooms, Obsession) and a legacy franchise (The Mandalorian and Grogu) that, despite its opening strength, is showing signs of audience fatigue. Backrooms’ record‑shattering opening proves that a finely tuned, fan‑driven campaign can rival—and potentially outpace—traditional blockbuster pushes, while Obsession’s unprecedented third‑weekend rise underscores the staying power of creator‑led horror. Meanwhile, the Star Wars spin‑off’s steep decline serves as a reminder that even the biggest IPs need fresh, expansive appeal to sustain momentum beyond the initial surge.