Overview
- Backrooms opened to roughly $81–81.5 million domestically and about $118 million worldwide, marking A24’s biggest opening and the largest debut for an original horror film.
- Obsession posted a rare third‑weekend increase of about 10 percent to a $26.4 million weekend, pushing its domestic total past $100 million and preserving strong box‑office momentum.
- Both films were directed by young creators who built followings on YouTube, and exit polls show audiences skewed heavily under 35 with Backrooms’ crowd especially young.
- Made on modest budgets (Backrooms about $10 million; Obsession under $1 million), the films delivered outsized returns and have already prompted sequel discussions for Backrooms.
- Industry reaction frames the weekend as proof of two repeatable models — adapting online IP with built‑in fans or backing tiny festival breakouts — and signals studios will hunt for creator‑led projects and new marketing strategies.