Can ‘It Ends’ Match the Breakout Success of ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Obsession’ at the Box Office

Horror has had an unusual run in 2026, with low-budget genre films finding audiences that once seemed reserved for major franchises. Two titles in particular, ‘Obsession’ from Focus Features and ‘Backrooms’ from A24, have become case studies in how a modest production can turn into a genuine theatrical event.

Now attention is turning to ‘It Ends,’ the SXSW favorite that Neon acquired with plans for a 2026 theatrical rollout. The film follows a friend group of graduates who go on a late night drive and accidentally turn onto a never ending, two lane hellscape surrounded by untold horrors and cosmic forces beyond their understanding. The question now is whether it can replicate the kind of crossover success that made ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Obsession’ into two of the year’s most talked about horror releases.

The Festival Run Behind ‘It Ends’

‘It Ends’ is written, edited and directed by Alexander Ullom in his directorial debut, starring Phinehas Yoon, Akira Jackson, Noah Toth and Mitchell Cole. It had its premiere at the South by Southwest Festival in March 2025. From there, the film built a reputation on the festival circuit before finding its way to a wider audience.

Ullom’s directorial debut made waves after its SXSW premiere, going on to win Best First Feature at the Fantasia International Film Festival and the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Award at the Atlanta Film Festival. Those wins gave the film credibility heading into its eventual release, even before a wide theatrical date was locked in.

‘It Ends’ was released for digital rental in December 2025, and roughly a week later Neon purchased the film’s worldwide distribution rights with the intent of giving it a theatrical release in 2026. That acquisition put the film in the same conversation as other genre breakouts that Neon has shepherded to strong box office results.

Critical reception has also been notably strong. The film holds a 100 percent Tomatometer score across two dozen reviews, with critics praising its performances and the way it settles into a meditative rhythm rather than overexplaining its premise. That kind of reception mirrors the critical goodwill that preceded both ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Obsession’ ahead of their own theatrical runs.

What Made ‘Backrooms’ a Breakout Hit

‘Backrooms’ was directed by Kane Parsons from a screenplay by Will Soodik, with a cast led by Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett and Lukita Maxwell. Produced on a ten million dollar budget, the film was distributed by A24 and released theatrically in the United States in late May 2026.

The results were dramatic. ‘Backrooms’ grossed 81.4 million dollars domestically and 117.9 million dollars worldwide, becoming A24’s biggest opening ever and making Parsons the youngest filmmaker to reach number one at the box office. Its opening weekend broke the previous record held by ‘Us’ for the highest weekend debut by a horror film.

Part of the appeal came from the film’s origins. Based on internet lore that Parsons had already turned into a popular web series, ‘Backrooms’ arrived with a built in fan base that translated into ticket sales once the theatrical version hit screens.

The film’s runtime landed at roughly 105 minutes, and it was positioned directly against another anticipated horror release, ‘Passenger,’ the same month. That kind of competitive scheduling makes its box office run even more notable, since it still managed to dominate its opening weekend.

Why ‘Obsession’ Became Horror’s Word of Mouth Story

‘Obsession’ was written, directed and edited by Curry Barker in his own feature directorial debut, starring Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless and Andy Richter. Made on a budget between 750,000 and one million dollars, the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival before Focus Features released it theatrically in the United States in May 2026.

The film’s supernatural premise, in which a young man’s wish for his crush to fall in love with him leads to horrifying consequences, resonated with both critics and audiences. Ahead of its release, the film carried a 97 percent Tomatometer score based on 35 reviews. Focus Features acquired North American distribution rights for a reported 14 million dollar deal, with Universal Pictures International handling most overseas territories.

Its path to the screen involved a few close calls. One particularly violent sequence initially pushed the film toward an NC-17 rating from the MPA, requiring trims before the SXSW screening to secure an R rating. Despite that, the finished product still landed as one of the year’s more visceral horror experiences.

By year’s end, ‘Obsession’ had grossed 148 million dollars worldwide, placing it second among 2026’s highest grossing horror films behind only ‘Scream 7,’ and ahead of ‘Backrooms,’ which finished third with roughly 118 million dollars worldwide. That kind of return on a sub million dollar budget made ‘Obsession’ one of the year’s most efficient theatrical successes.

Can ‘It Ends’ Reach the Same Heights

The comparison is not without complications. Both ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Obsession’ had the benefit of established distributors with major marketing muscle behind their theatrical rollouts, along with premieres at high profile festivals that generated significant press coverage before release.

‘It Ends’ has followed a slightly different path, moving from a digital rental release through Letterboxd Video Store before Neon stepped in to plan its theatrical debut. That route is less conventional, but it has not hurt the film’s critical standing, and the festival wins at Fantasia and Atlanta suggest a level of buzz that distributors typically look for before committing to a wider release.

What ultimately separates a cult favorite from a genuine box office hit is often marketing timing and the cultural conversation around a release window. ‘Backrooms’ benefited from an internet fandom already built around its source material, while ‘Obsession’ rode a wave of festival word of mouth into a wide release. Whether ‘It Ends’ can generate that same momentum once Neon sets a firm theatrical date remains to be seen.

Given the strength of its reviews and its festival pedigree, ‘It Ends’ at least has the ingredients that made its predecessors work, even if replicating their exact box office numbers is far from guaranteed. Readers who caught ‘It Ends’ during its festival run or its digital rental window might have thoughts on whether Neon’s upcoming theatrical push can turn this hellish highway into the next horror sensation.