‘Backrooms’ Leads Box Office With $81M Debut; ‘Obsession’ Jumps, ‘Mandalorian and Grogu’ Drops 70%

The Story

According to a Variety report, this weekend’s box office was dominated by two low-budget horror films directed by YouTube stars. A24’s “Backrooms” opened to $81 million from 3,442 North American theaters, a record for the studio and for original horror. Focus Features’ “Obsession” earned $26.4 million in its third weekend, a 10% increase from the prior frame, and crossed $100 million domestically. Meanwhile, Disney’s “The Mandalorian and Grogu” suffered a 70% drop in its second weekend, landing in third place with $25 million from 4,300 venues. Two other new releases – Sony’s “The Breadwinner” and Focus’ “Pressure” – debuted below expectations, with $7.5 million and $5.4 million respectively. Lionsgate’s “Michael” continued its strong run, adding $11.7 million in its sixth weekend and bringing its global total to $851.3 million. The report notes that the summer movie season is seeing a surge in younger audiences, with nearly 85% of “Backrooms” audiences under age 35.

Key Facts

• “Backrooms” earned $81 million from 3,442 North American theaters in its opening weekend, a record for A24 and for original horror.
• “Obsession” grossed $26.4 million in its third weekend, a 10% increase, and crossed $100 million domestically ($106 million total).
• “The Mandalorian and Grogu” dropped 70% in its second weekend, earning $25 million from 4,300 venues.
• “The Breadwinner” debuted with $7.5 million from 2,352 theaters; “Pressure” opened with $5.4 million from 1,829 venues.
• “Michael” earned $11.7 million in its sixth weekend, bringing its global total to $851.3 million.
• “Backrooms” director Kane Parsons is 20 years old, the youngest director to have the No. 1 film at the box office.
• Both “Backrooms” and “Obsession” were directed by YouTube stars and produced with low budgets ($10 million and $1 million respectively).
• Nearly 85% of “Backrooms” audiences were under 35, and over 50% were 25 or younger.

Conflicting Reports

No conflicting reports identified in the source article.

Still Unclear

No open questions identified in the source article.

Misconceptions

No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.

Key Figures

• Kane Parsons (director of “Backrooms”)
• Chiwetel Ejiofor (actor in “Backrooms”)
• Renate Reinsve (actress in “Backrooms”)
• Jeff Bock (analyst, Exhibitor Relations)
• Paul Dergarabedian (Comscore head of marketplace trends)
• Jason Blum (producer)
• David A. Gross (box office newsletter FranchiseRe)
• Nate Bargatze (comedian, star of “The Breadwinner”)
• Brendan Fraser (actor in “Pressure”)

Sources: Variety