Low-budget horrors 'Backrooms,' 'Obsession' beat 'Star Wars' at box office
What's the story
Two low-budget horror films, Backrooms and Obsession, have taken the North American box office by storm. The movies, both directed by YouTube creators, Kane Pixels (Backrooms) and Curry Barker (Obsession), have outperformed the big-budget release Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. Backrooms raked in an estimated $81.45 million domestically over its opening weekend across 3,442 locations while Obsession brought in $26.4 million during its third weekend in theaters.
Record-breaking success
Both films were made under $10 million
Backrooms's opening weekend gross is just shy of what The Mandalorian and Grogu earned in its first three days last weekend. With its $10 million production cost, the film's success has surprised many. It earned $118 million worldwide. Similarly, Obsession, which reportedly cost less than $1 million to make, has also performed well at the box office. It hasn't dropped below its opening weekend earnings even after three weekends in theaters.
Audience engagement
Young audience drives viewership for both films
Both Backrooms and Obsession have drawn a young audience to theaters, with exit polls reportedly showing that 86% of the viewers were under 35 years old. More than half of Backrooms's viewers were under 25, while 44% were under 21. The film has reportedly led to sold-out shows, packed theaters, and repeat viewings. Despite this buzz, audiences gave Backrooms a B- CinemaScore rating.
Studio success
A24 and Focus Features celebrate record-breaking weekends
The success of Backrooms has made it A24's biggest opening weekend ever. The studio's previous record was held by Civil War, which opened to $25.5 million in 2024. Meanwhile, Obsession has become Focus Features's highest-grossing domestic release with a total of $104.7 million in North America. The film's success can be attributed to strong word-of-mouth, partly fueled by Inde Navarrette's critically acclaimed performance as Nikki. It released in India last Friday (May 29). Backrooms is eyeing a June 12 release.