Backrooms crosses $400 million to become A24's biggest hit

A $10 million horror film has crossed $400 million at the worldwide box office.

Backrooms reached $400.09 million worldwide, making it A24's highest-grossing release of all time, according to figures reported by Variety on 20 September.

The total splits into $197.5 million domestically, meaning the United States and Canada, and $202.57 million internationally. The film was produced for $10 million. That is 40 times its production budget in ticket sales, before marketing costs are counted.

Backrooms opened to $81 million domestically and $118 million worldwide. Both were the biggest debuts in A24 history. The studio's previous biggest domestic opening was Civil War with $25.5 million. Backrooms tripled it in a single weekend.

The previous record holder for A24 was Marty Supreme with $192 million worldwide. Backrooms has more than doubled that figure. It passed the old mark in only its second weekend in cinemas.

The film was directed by Kane Parsons. He was 20 years old when Backrooms reached No. 1. That made him the youngest film-maker with a No. 1 film at the box office, Variety reported on 20 September.

The previous holder was Josh Trank. He was 27 when 2012's Chronicle opened in first place with $22 million domestically.

Backrooms stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve and Mark Duplass. It is based on Parsons' web series about liminal spaces, empty offices, hallways and other in-between places that feel familiar but deserted.

At release it played in 3,442 cinemas in the United States and Canada, according to AP News. That is a wide release by the standards of an independent horror film.

Its strongest markets outside North America were China with $27.8 million, Mexico with $17.8 million and the United Kingdom with $17.6 million. Australia and New Zealand together added $12.3 million, followed by France with $12.2 million.

The run came during a strong summer in cinemas. Summer 2026 set an all-time record at the domestic box office with $4.76 billion, according to Deadline. Box-office takings were up 25 percent, boosted in part by films costing less than $25 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

What makes this stand out is the maths. A24 built its name on lower-budget films with careful releases. Backrooms opened like a major studio title and kept selling tickets well beyond opening weekend.