Backrooms Horror Film Breaks Box Office Records, Rooted in Internet Meme

The horror film 'Backrooms,' directed by debutant Kane Parsons, earned over €1.7 million in Italy and approximately $100 million globally in its opening weekend, making it the year's most successful horror film. Produced for €8.5 million, it attracted a young audience: 86% under 35, two-thirds under 25, and 44% under 21 in the US. The film expands on Parsons' YouTube short series 'Found Footage' (2022), which originated from an anonymous 2019 4chan photo of a yellow-walled room. That photo was traced in 2024 to a 2002 image of a gift shop under renovation in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The backrooms concept—labyrinthine, empty rooms—became a viral subculture tied to 'liminal spaces,' amplified during the pandemic. Parsons, then a teenager with arthritis, described the internet as a 'third parent.' His early work was inspired by 'Attack on Titan' and 'Portal.' The film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve, and was produced by A24 with James Wan's involvement. Marketing targeted online and youth channels, bypassing traditional TV. The Wall Street Journal noted the film's success challenges studio reliance on established franchises. Critical reception is mixed: some praise its aesthetic but find the plot underdeveloped. The ambiguous ending hints at sequels, confirmed by Parsons to Variety. Associated Press called it a 'neon-lit horror reimagining of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' that 'doesn't quite find the right door.'