Kane Parsons on Directing 'Backrooms': $40M Opening, A24 Record, and Internet Fame

Kane Parsons, the 20-year-old director of the feature film 'Backrooms,' discusses his debut feature with A24, which is projected to earn $40-50 million in its opening weekend—potentially doubling A24's record held by 'Civil War' ($25 million). The film originated from a 2019 4chan post and Parsons' 2022 YouTube series that garnered 192 million views. Produced by Shawn Levy's 21 Laps and James Wan's Atomic Monster, with a $10 million budget, the film stars Renate Reinsve, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Mark Duplass. Set designers built 30,000 square feet of backrooms based on Parsons' Blender renderings. Oz Perkins also served as producer. Despite skepticism online about Parsons' involvement, Duplass publicly confirmed Parsons was '100% in control.' Parsons, who had no formal filmmaking experience, emphasized maintaining narrative consistency with the original internet IP and resisting pressure to start fresh. He cited Chris Ferguson and Oz Perkins as key collaborators. Parsons also discussed his earlier project 'The Oldest View,' a detailed Blender recreation of a demolished Dallas mall, which resonated deeply with former visitors.