The Backrooms and Obsession outsell Star Wars this weekend

The Backrooms grossed $81.4 million domestically across its three-day opening weekend, the highest-performing opening ever for A24. The film’s success makes 20-year-old director Kane the youngest director to ever have a number one movie at the box office and bested recent hits such as Project Hail Mary and The Devil Wears Prada 2.

Reviewer Tasha Robinson wrote, "In a spectacle-based film environment where it’s easy to forget most of the movies we watch before we’ve even left the theater, Backrooms leaves lingering shivers and ongoing anxieties." It was a strong weekend for horror more broadly: low-budget indie Obsession finished second with $26.4 million, while The Mandalorian and Grogu underperformed at $25 million in its second weekend, a 69% drop from its opening.

Deadline’s data suggest younger audiences are favoring fresher, horror-focused films, and The Mandalorian and Grogu could become the lowest-grossing Disney Star Wars movie, though that won’t be clear until its theatrical run ends.

the backrooms, obsession, the mandalorian, grogu, a24, kane, box office, opening weekend, horror films, disney