Young Moviegoers Power ‘Backrooms’ to $82 Million in Ticket Sales

Will young people ever come back to the movies? That question has shadowed Hollywood since the Covid-19 pandemic, with skeptics insisting that theaters have become relics for a generation raised on streaming.

The answer came, resoundingly, over the weekend.

“Backrooms,” a psychological horror flick from a 20-year-old YouTube creator turned filmmaker, collected an astounding $82 million in North America from Thursday through Sunday — with roughly 86 percent of the audience under the age of 35, according to PostTrak, a film industry research service. (About 44 percent was under 21.) “Backrooms” cost A24 and Chernin Entertainment about $10 million to make, not including marketing; it was marketed mostly with an inexpensive online campaign.

“Backrooms” was No. 1, making its director, Kane Parsons, the youngest filmmaker in Hollywood history to achieve that ranking, according to A24. The previous record-holder, Josh Trank, was 27 when his “Chronicle” topped the box office in 2012.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/31/business/media/young-moviegoers-backrooms-a24-box-office.html