A24's Backrooms opens May 29

A24 has set “Backrooms” for a May 29, 2026 U.S. theatrical release, according to the studio’s film page and ticketing site. The movie is directed by Kane Parsons, the young filmmaker whose online “Backrooms” videos turned a niche internet horror concept into a studio feature. A24’s listing describes the film as “an A24 and Chernin Entertainment release” and says tickets are on sale. The cast listed by the studio includes Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve. ### What exactly did A24 confirm? A24’s official “Backrooms” page lists the release date as May 29, 2026 and identifies Parsons as director. The same page names Will Soodik as the writer and says the story begins when “a strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom.” A24’s ticketing page says the film will be released “in theaters May 29” and is already selling tickets. (a24films.com) The studio has not described the release as streaming-first or day-and-date on its public pages. ### Who is Kane Parsons, and why is his role notable? Kane Parsons is the creator most closely associated with the current screen version of “Backrooms.” A24’s site credits him as director, and the project marks his feature debut after he built an audience with short-form online entries tied to the same mythos. (a24films.com) On May 6, A24 published a conversation between Parsons and producer-director James Wan that framed the film as an expansion of ideas Parsons had been developing since his early online work. (app.a24films.com) In that piece, A24 described readers as stepping “into the Backrooms” with Parsons, underscoring the studio’s effort to connect the feature directly to the web-born property rather than treat it as a separate reboot. (a24films.com) ### Who stars in the movie? A24 lists Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve as the lead names on the film page. IMDb’s current listing, which aligns with broader trade coverage but is not a primary studio source, also includes Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett and Lukita Maxwell. The studio’s public synopsis remains limited. A24 says only that a doorway appears in a furniture showroom basement, while IMDb’s longer synopsis says the story follows a therapist whose patient disappears into another dimension. (a24films.com) That fuller plot description has not been matched in the text on A24’s own page. ### Where did the “Backrooms” idea come from? The “Backrooms” concept predates the film and grew out of internet horror culture built around empty, maze-like commercial interiors and fluorescent-lit liminal spaces. (a24films.com) Parsons’ videos helped popularize that material for a newer audience, but local reporting in Wisconsin has focused on one real-world image tied to the lore. WFRV in Green Bay reported on May 13 that a photo taken more than 20 years ago inside what is now John’s Hobbies in Oshkosh became one of the key images linked to “Backrooms” mythology. The Northwestern reported in 2024 that the long-circulating image stemmed from a photograph taken at Oshkosh HobbyTown during renovations. (a24films.com) ### Why does the Oshkosh connection keep coming up? Oshkosh, Wisconsin has become part of the film’s background story because reporting there tied the famous yellow-carpeted image to a specific building and renovation project. WFRV said the picture was taken inside a former furniture-store space that later became associated with HobbyTown and is now John’s Hobbies. (wearegreenbay.com) That origin story matters mainly because “Backrooms” circulated for years as anonymous internet material. The Wisconsin reporting supplied a named location and a local chain of custody for an image that had previously floated through forums and creepypasta culture without a settled provenance. (wearegreenbay.com) ### What happens next before release? May 29, 2026 is the next concrete date on A24’s public materials, and the studio’s release page says tickets are available now. The same page lists “Backrooms” as an A24 and Chernin Entertainment release directed by Parsons and starring Ejiofor and Reinsve. (a24films.com) (wearegreenbay.com)