Overview
- Backrooms opened in cinemas on June 17 and posted the largest opening weekend in A24’s history, surpassing the studio’s previous top earner.
- The film was directed by 21-year-old Kane Parsons, known online as Kane Pixels, who adapted his viral Backrooms shorts into a feature after building a large YouTube audience.
- A24 backed the low-budget production with $10 million and cast Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve, with Ejiofor playing a furniture salesman who discovers a portal into the backrooms.
- Reviews have singled out the movie’s set design, liminal atmosphere and use of found-footage techniques for creating hallucinatory corridors and sustained dread without relying on big-budget effects.
- Industry observers say the film’s commercial success could widen opportunities for creator-driven, low-cost horror and influence how studios tap online talent and cult internet properties.