The A24 horror film 'Backrooms,' directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons, has surpassed $350 million at the global box office and is set to release in Japan on September 4, 2026. Parsons is currently focused on completing a television series adaptation of 'Backrooms.'
The A24 horror film 'Backrooms' began as a YouTube short created by Kane Parsons when he was 16, titled 'The Backrooms (Found Footage),' which accumulated over 200 million views. Parsons planned the feature film at age 17 and shot it at 19. The film opened in North America on May 29, 2026, earning over $81 million in its first three days, making it the highest-grossing original horror film and debut feature by a new director in North American history. It also topped the global box office with $118 million in its opening weekend. Within days, the film became A24's highest-grossing film in North America, surpassing 'Marty Supreme: Seize the World' with $97.84 million domestically and approximately $134.39 million worldwide. By early July, the global total had climbed past $350 million, setting new records for the studio in North America, China, France, and Taiwan.
Parsons, now 20, became the youngest director ever to top both the US and worldwide box office, surpassing the previous record held by Josh Trank. The film's success has also turned Parsons into a meme subject, with netizens fabricating fake statements from him in a film news-style format. In an interview with The New York Times, Parsons said a feature-length film adaptation of Valve's puzzle game 'Portal' is a 'future dream,' and noted that his artistic approach is more influenced by games like 'Portal' and 'Half-Life' than by traditional Hollywood filmmaking. He is currently focused on completing a television series adaptation of 'Backrooms.'
The film's release in Japan is set for September 4, 2026, distributed by Happinet Phantom Studios. The film has sparked a social media phenomenon, with brands including McDonald's, Burger King, and IKEA Canada posting Backrooms-themed content. Separately, a Backrooms-themed co-op survival horror game titled 'Backrooms Lost Runners' was selected by Game Spark as one of 15 notable Steam titles, where voice chat attracts entities.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every fact links the story it came from.
Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/backrooms.
CC BY 4.0.
When a claim about Backrooms was confirmed, debunked, or disputed against open-web sources. The record stays even after a claim drops off the facts list.
The A24 horror film Backrooms has surpassed $350 million at the global box office, setting new records for the studio in North America, China, France, and Taiwan. Directed by Kane Parsons, the film is based on the internet urban legend from 4chan and will release in Japan on September 4.
The A24 horror film 'Backrooms,' directed by 21-year-old Kane Parsons and based on an internet urban legend, will open in Japanese theaters on September 4, 2026. The film earned over $81 million in its US opening weekend, topping the box office, and made Parsons the youngest director ever to lead both US and worldwide charts.
Google DeepMind and film studio A24 announced a research partnership on June 22, 2026, with Google investing approximately $75 million (12.1 billion yen) in A24. The collaboration will focus on developing AI tools to assist filmmakers with storyboarding and production workflows, rather than generating content or training on A24's library. A24 Labs, the studio's technology division, has already built an application that uses AI to create storyboards. Google DeepMind stated that the partnership aims to support artists in developing new workflows through repeated prototyping and testing with A24 filmmakers. The deal is Google's first equity investment in a film studio. A24, known for films like 'Midsommar,' 'Everything Everywhere All at Once,' and 'Backrooms,' has seen sales more than double in two years. No specific timeline for the tools' release was announced.
Game Spark's editorial team selected 15 Steam games that entered early access or full release within the last three days and have over 100 reviews. Highlights include Backrooms Lost Runners, a co-op survival horror where voice chat attracts entities; YOU ARE THE MONSTER, a giant monster rampage action game; and Adventurer Elliot's Millennial Tale, an HD-2D action RPG.
Kane Parsons, the 20-year-old director of A24's 'Backrooms,' saw the film open at No. 1 in North America with $81.4 million over its first three days, the best opening in A24 history. The film has grossed over $212 million worldwide, setting a new A24 record. Parsons created the original web series in 2022 at age 16.
A new internet meme fabricates fake statements from 'Backrooms' director Kane Parsons, using a film news-style format. The 20-year-old director, whose film became A24's highest-grossing release, is now being consumed as a meme himself, echoing the internet urban legend origins of his movie.
Kane Parsons, the 20-year-old director of the hit horror film 'Backrooms', told The New York Times that a feature-length film adaptation of Valve's puzzle game 'Portal' is a 'future dream.' Parsons said his artistic approach is more influenced by games like 'Portal' and 'Half-Life' than by traditional Hollywood filmmaking. He is currently focused on completing a television series adaptation of 'Backrooms'.
The YouTube-born horror film 'Backrooms,' directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons, has earned $97.84 million in North America, surpassing 'Marty Supreme: Seize the World' to become A24's highest-grossing film in the region. Worldwide, it has grossed approximately $134.39 million. A Japanese release is planned.
A24's horror film 'Backrooms' earned over $81 million (approximately 12.9 billion yen) in its US opening weekend from May 29, making it the highest-grossing original horror film and debut feature by a new director in North American history. The film also topped the global box office with $118 million (about 18.8 billion yen). Director Kane Parsons, now 20, became the youngest director ever to produce a film that ranked first in both US and worldwide box office, surpassing the previous record held by Josh Trank (27). The film is based on Parsons' YouTube short 'The Backrooms (Found Footage)', released when he was 16, which has accumulated over 200 million views. The feature was planned at age 17 and shot at 19. The cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, and Lukita Maxwell. Distributor Happinet Phantom Studios will release the film in Japan, though a date has not been announced. The film has sparked a social media phenomenon, with brands like McDonald's, Burger King, and IKEA Canada posting Backrooms-themed content.