Backrooms debuts to $55.1M opening weekend at U.S. box office

A24’s “Backrooms” did not just top the U.S. weekend chart. It opened far above the $55.1 million figure cited in some early roundup items, with Box Office Mojo and The Numbers listing a domestic opening of about $81.4 million for May 29-31. (boxofficemojo.com) That made the Kane Parsons-directed horror film the No. 1 movie in North America in its first weekend. Box Office Mojo listed the film ahead of Focus Features’ “Obsession” at $26.4 million and Disney’s “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” at $25 million. (the-numbers.com) The bigger thread is that “Backrooms” arrived as a breakout theatrical event for A24 while the broader 2026 market still has several larger studio titles pushing toward global milestones. (superherohype.com) SuperHeroHype reported on May 31 that “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” and Lionsgate’s “Michael” were nearing $1 billion worldwide. (boxofficemojo.com) ### Why does the reported opening differ from the $55.1 million figure? CinemaNerdz published a June 1 weekend roundup saying “Backrooms” debuted in first place with $55.1 million, but the same item also said the film brought in $81.5 million in its first weekend. (boxofficemojo.com) Box Office Mojo and The Numbers, both box-office tracking sources, list the domestic opening at $81,402,424. Those figures align with each other and with the film’s reported domestic total after its first frame. ### What kind of launch was this for A24? (superherohype.com) “Backrooms” opened in 3,442 theaters in the United States and Canada, according to The Numbers. The site also lists a $10 million production budget. A24’s own film page identifies “Backrooms” as a 2026 release directed by Parsons and written by Will Soodik, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve. (cinemanerdz.com) The studio synopsis says the story begins when “a strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom.” The film’s first-weekend worldwide total reached $117.9 million, with about $36.5 million coming from international markets, Box Office Mojo and The Numbers said. (boxofficemojo.com) ### Where did it land on the weekend chart? Box Office Mojo’s domestic weekend chart for May 29-31 placed “Backrooms” first, followed by “Obsession,” “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” and “Michael.” (the-numbers.com) That ranking matters because “Backrooms” opened against holdovers and still led the market by a wide margin. Its $81.4 million start was more than triple the weekend total of the second-place film. (a24films.com) ### How does this fit into the broader 2026 box-office picture? SuperHeroHype reported that “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” stood at $991.8 million worldwide as of May 31, while “Michael” had reached $846.2 million globally. (boxofficemojo.com) The same report said “Michael” had not yet opened in Japan and was scheduled for release there on June 12. “Backrooms” is not in that billion-dollar conversation yet, but its opening places it among the year’s stronger domestic launches by a non-franchise horror title, based on the opening-weekend figures now posted by tracking sites. (boxofficemojo.com) That comparison is an inference from the reported grosses and release type. ### What comes next for “Backrooms”? The next check point is the second weekend, when the film’s hold will show whether the opening was front-loaded or broad-based. Box Office Mojo and The Numbers will update domestic and worldwide totals as daily grosses come in. (superherohype.com) A24 is still selling tickets through the film’s official page, and international markets remain part of the near-term story after the movie’s initial $36.5 million overseas start. (a24films.com) (boxofficemojo.com)