Box Office: ‘Backrooms’ Stuns With $81 Million Debut, ‘Obsession’ Has Another Unprecedented Jump, ‘Mandalorian and Grogu’ Suffers 70% Drop
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- Backrooms opened with $81 million from 3,442 U.S. theaters, the biggest opening for A24 and for an original horror film, and has grossed $118 million worldwide on a $10 million budget.
- Obsession earned $26.4 million in its third weekend from 2,781 cinemas, pushing its domestic total past $100 million.
- The Mandalorian and Grogu saw a 70 % drop in its second weekend, falling to third place despite playing on more screens than the other two releases.
- Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations said the surge in indie horror is empowering the industry and that Gen Z audiences are demanding this content, putting indie horror on par with big summer blockbusters.
- Kane Parsons, a 20‑year‑old YouTube star, directed Backrooms, becoming the youngest director to helm a #1 box‑office film.
Why it matters: Indie horror studios and YouTube creators gain record box‑office revenue as Backrooms and Obsession dominate the market, while Disney loses audience share, seeing its Star Wars spinoff drop 70 % in its second weekend.
