Backrooms headed for $85-$88m opening, eclipsing A24 record

Backrooms earned $38.4 million on opening day and in previews and is on track for an $85-$88 million opening weekend. That would more than triple A24's prior opening-weekend high of $25 million set by Civil War. The Mandalorian posted a $33.7 million opening day and an $81.6 million opening weekend.

An adaptation of an internet meme has outperformed franchise expectations, reflecting a wider pattern in the 2020s where surprise hits can upend assumed sure bets. One example: Playstack only found Balatro because an employee kept checking Steam's new releases.

Backrooms isn't a videogame movie, but it shares a close kinship with zoomer gaming culture, and director Kane Parsons leans into Portal-like imagery. Explicit Backrooms homages appear on Steam, as referential maps in FPSes like Straftat, and across Roblox experiences.

backrooms, opening weekend, a24, opening day, civil war, the mandalorian, kane parsons, portal, steam, roblox