‘Backrooms’ Keeps Making History After Crossing $400 Million Worldwide

Few horror movies have had a year like ‘Backrooms’. Kane Parsons’ adaptation of his own viral web series arrived in May with modest expectations and turned into a genuine phenomenon. Months later, the film is still finding new ways to make headlines.

The numbers behind that rise are hard to overstate. A24 and Chernin Entertainment co-financed the film for roughly $10 million, and it opened to $81.4 million domestically and $118 million worldwide, the best start in the studio’s history. Parsons, then 20, became the youngest filmmaker ever to land a No. 1 movie at the box office.

Now there is another milestone to add to the pile. Global Box Office reported on X that ‘Backrooms’ has crossed the $400 million mark worldwide after a surprisingly good late run in Asia, making it the first A24 movie to reach that figure. The post also says Parsons will return to direct a sequel, rumored for 2028.

The bump appears to come largely from Japan. The Backrooms Online, a fan site, noted that Box Office Mojo finally updated its tracker with Japanese figures, which pushed the total past $400 million, with more than $3.5 million earned in Japan so far. A24 Japan had earlier reported sold-out theaters and more than ¥500 million at the box office, roughly $3.2 million.

BACKROOMS has just crossed the $400M mark at the global box office after a surprisingly good late run in Asia. It’s the first @A24 movie to hit that milestone. Kane Parsons will return to direct a sequel, rumored to be released in 2028. https://t.co/KBBv0QympH

— Global Box Office (@GlobalBoxOffice) September 19, 2026

That is a striking result for a film released in May. Before Japan was counted, trackers put the worldwide total at about $394 million, and a release of the film in China on June 26 had already added roughly $24.6 million. Its domestic total stands at about $197.5 million.

The film’s success has broken records all along the way. It became A24’s highest-grossing movie in just 4 days, passing ‘Marty Supreme’ at $191 million, and was the first A24 title to top $200 million worldwide. It has since climbed to become the second-biggest horror movie of 2026 and one of the 5 highest-grossing independent films of all time.

The first trailer for ‘THE BACKROOMS’ movie has been released.

In theaters on May 29. pic.twitter.com/4H8k7VGcM4

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) February 24, 2026

Much of the credit goes to a younger crowd. Deadline reported that 88% of the film’s audience was under 35, and Variety said enthusiastic Gen Z audiences fueled the record run. It has also been re-released in theaters with extra footage and recently landed on HBO Max, which helped extend its life.

The sequel is the obvious next chapter. Dread Central reported on September 7 that Parsons has officially signed on to direct ‘Backrooms 2’ for A24, with a formal announcement expected soon. The report adds that the sequel would be his immediate next project, and that A24 held on to him despite interest from Warner Bros. and Universal.

The 2028 date is only a rumor for now, and A24 has not confirmed a release window. What is clear is that Parsons owns the ‘Backrooms’ IP and has talked about expanding it into a feature anthology. He built the concept from his web series, and he has always described the first film as a doorway to something bigger.

The film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve, and its story of endless, eerie liminal spaces clearly resonated well beyond the internet corners where it began. Few people predicted an opening above $80 million, according to analyst Jeff Bock, who tied the result to the obsession with the ‘Backrooms’ mythology. That obsession now looks like it has staying power.

For A24, the film is the ultimate proof that an original, low-budget horror project can compete with the biggest franchises. With a sequel on the way and the box office still ticking up, the story is far from over.

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