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Nothing screams cinematic surprise louder than a low-budget horror film turning into a studio windfall. Backrooms did exactly that this weekend, charging to the top of the domestic box office with a staggering $81.4 million in its opening weekend.
Produced by A24 and directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons, Backrooms sprang from a YouTube-born concept into a full-blown theatrical hit. The film collected an additional $36.5 million overseas, giving it a global opening of roughly $118 million against a production budget of about $10 million (marketing costs excluded). Small budget. Big payoff. A record was set: Parsons becomes one of the youngest directors ever to launch a No.1 box office debut.
Meanwhile, the sleeper hit Obsession continued to gain momentum. This psychological thriller pulled in $26.4 million domestically this weekend — about a 10% increase from the previous week — pushing its three-week domestic total to $104.7 million. Overseas receipts added $13.8 million this frame, bringing Obsession’s international haul to $43.2 million and a global three-week total near $148 million. Built for roughly $1 million, its return is nothing short of extraordinary.
Not all high-profile titles held firm. Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu slipped to $25 million domestically in its second weekend, posting a steep roughly 70% drop and lifting its domestic total to $137.3 million. On the international front the saga pulled $27.8 million this weekend, moving its overseas gross to $109.2 million and its two-week global tally to $246.6 million.
At the other end of the spectrum, Michael kept rolling. Now in its sixth week, the film added $11.7 million domestically, nudging its U.S. total to $339.9 million. Internationally it earned another $20.1 million this weekend, closing in on a $506.3 million overseas total and a cumulative global gross around $846.2 million. Steady legs, steady returns.
Two new entries also made an entrance. The Breadwinner opened to $7.5 million domestically and sits at No.5 this weekend; it has yet to debut internationally. Brendan Fraser’s Pressure arrived at No.6 with a $5.7 million opening in the U.S.
Other notable box office figures this weekend: Devil Wears Prada 2 added $5.9 million (global running about $666.1 million), Sheep Detectives brought in $4.6 million (global around $94.2 million), Passenger earned $2.6 million this frame (global $24.9 million), and Mortal Kombat II collected $2 million (global roughly $127.9 million).
Weekend takeaway: Backrooms turned a modest investment into a breakout phenomenon, while Obsession and Michael proved the value of strong word-of-mouth and staying power.
Which title will defy expectations next weekend? Keep an eye on the daily tallies — they tend to tell the real story.
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