Backrooms Did Something No Other A24 Movie Has Done At The Box Office

"Backrooms" continues to be one of the year's biggest surprise hits at the box office. Directed by Kane Parsons, who only recently turned 21 years old, and based on his series of hit YouTube shorts, the sci-fi/horror flick has become a downright phenomenon. Now, "Backrooms" has accomplished a commercial feat that no other A24 movie has even come close to.

On its fourth weekend in theaters, "Backrooms" added another $7.3 million domestically to go with $12.2 million overseas, bringing its running total to $301 million worldwide. It's A24's first and only movie to cross the $300 million mark globally. For some additional perspective, no other movie released by the studio has even crossed the $200 million mark. "Marty Supreme," which came about after the Safdie Brothers split up after "Uncut Gems," made $191 million worldwide, setting the previous high watermark for the studio.

"Marty Supreme" carried a whopping $70 million budget. Meanwhile, "Backrooms" has been ruling the box office on a mere $10 million budget. That means it's going to be absurdly profitable for all involved.

"Backrooms" traces its origin and history to an internet creepypasta, which was based on a single, strange image of a yellow room. Parsons then expanded that lore with a series of found footage YouTuber shorts that went viral. In the movie, an invisible doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom, leading those who step through it to strange, horrific happenings. Chiwetel Ejiofor ("Doctor Strange") and Renate Reinsve ("Sentimental Value") lead the cast.

A24 has had its ups and downs over the years, but they've rarely had huge commercial breakthroughs. The studio has, more often than not, relied on modest success at the box office, good word of mouth, and success beyond the silver screen to help make the company viable. They have, however, been trying to boost the company's profile lately with bigger movies.

"Civil War" became A24's second movie ever to hit $100 million at the box office, with Alex Garland's war epic ultimately earning $127 million worldwide on a $50 million budget. The first to cross that milestone was "Everything Everywhere All at Once," which made $145 million worldwide and ended up winning Best Picture at the Oscars. Such hits have been relatively few and far between, though. Generally speaking, they also cost a fair amount to make, leading to a relatively minimal return on investment.

On the flip side, the box office success of "Backrooms" has secured a future for the franchise. A24 could give Kane Parsons quadruple the budget he worked with the first time around and still wind up with a cheaper movie than "Civil War" or "Marty Supreme" by quite a lot. It's nothing shy of impressive.

"Backrooms" and "Obsession" have also led some important weekends at the box office, cementing the recent trend of YouTubers finding mainstream success in Hollywood. Keep in mind, Parsons' movie has done this while a new "Star Wars" movie ("The Mandalorian and Grogu"), a new Steven Spielberg movie ("Disclsoure Day"), and a big-budget reboot of an '80s favorite ("Masters of the Universe") have also been in theaters. They will all probably make less than A24's latest when all's said and done. That's pretty damn impressive.

"Backrooms" is in theaters now.