Well, it happened.
A movie based on endless yellow hallways, buzzing fluorescent lights, and the collective anxiety of getting lost in an office building somehow became one of the biggest box office stories of the year.
Backrooms didn't just open in theaters—it kicked the door off the hinges, wandered into a mysterious corridor, and emerged carrying bags of cash.
The film earned a staggering $38 million on its opening day and finished its debut weekend with approximately $81.5 million domestically, instantly becoming the biggest opening in A24 history.
That's right. A movie based on an internet creepypasta about ugly wallpaper and industrial carpeting just outperformed the expectations of half of Hollywood.
Somewhere, a studio executive is desperately trying to figure out how to turn every office supply closet into a cinematic universe.
The success is even more shocking when you consider the film reportedly cost around $10 million to make.
For comparison, some blockbuster movies spend more than that on coffee, catering, and emergency script rewrites.
Meanwhile, Backrooms spent its money on creepy hallways and existential dread.
A solid investment.
The movie's success has also proven that YouTube creators can make the jump to major theatrical releases. Director Kane Parsons went from making viral videos online to delivering one of the biggest horror openings in recent memory.
Naturally, Hollywood has already learned all the wrong lessons.
Expect upcoming announcements such as:
- The Loading Screen: The Movie
- Buffering
- 404: Not Found
- That Weird Noise Your Refrigerator Makes at 3 A.M.
All coming to theaters in IMAX.
The most impressive part of the whole story is that audiences willingly paid money to watch a movie about being trapped in an endless maze of depressing rooms.
Then again, many people call that "working in an office."
In the end, Backrooms achieved what every horror movie dreams of: it terrified audiences, made a fortune, and left studio executives frantically searching the internet for the next creepy meme they can turn into an $80 million opening weekend.
If you're looking for the true horror of Backrooms, it isn't the monsters lurking around the corner.
It's realizing that somewhere right now, a producer is trying to buy the movie rights to your favorite internet joke.
