A24 and Chernin Entertainment’s Backrooms is now tracking to open to $76 million to $79 million after pulling in $10.4 million in Thursday night previews, putting Kane Parsons’ film on course for the biggest domestic debut in A24’s history.
The movie played in 3,442 theaters and the early turnout showed exactly why the number moved so fast. Screen Engine/Rentrak exits put 43% of the audience in the 18-24 group, while the broader 18-34 crowd made up 76% of ticket buyers. That kind of age split is rare for any release, and it is the main reason the obsession box office conversation has shifted so sharply since Thursday night.
Parsons’ film is now expected to beat Civil War’s $25.5 million and set a new opening mark for A24 domestically. Its Thursday preview haul was just shy of Five Nights at Freddy's $10.3 million in 2023, but it was far ahead of Civil War’s $2.9 million preview total in 2024. PostTrak exits added more weight to the run, with a 52% definite recommend score and a 67% positive score, while the audience split skewed 60% male to 40% female.
That kind of opening matters because Backrooms was tracking at only $20 million three weeks ago, before the film’s momentum accelerated into Friday afternoon estimates. The jump shows how quickly horror can overperform when it hooks younger moviegoers, and it also helps explain why the rest of the marketplace has had room to breathe.
Backrooms is not even cutting into business for Focus Features’ Curry Barker romance horror Obsession, which is headed past $100 million in its third frame. That makes the Backrooms surge look less like a crowded-corner collision and more like a fresh wave washing through the box office at exactly the right moment for A24.
The only real question left is where Backrooms lands inside its range. If it holds near the high end, A24 will have a new record and Parsons will have turned a modest early forecast into one of the year’s most striking openings.
