Record-Breaking A24 Horror Movie Leads To Major Summer Box Office Upset

Published Sep 20, 2026, 12:46 PM EDT Brennan Klein (he/him) is a senior news writer at Screen Rant, host of the Attack of the Queerwolf podcast, and contributor at Alternate Ending and Horror Press. He has been writing and podcasting about pop culture (especially horror movies) for over a decade at platforms including Blumhouse, Fangoria, Dread Central, The Backlot, and Arrow in the Head. Backrooms has helped A24 pull off a surprising box office upset. The hit horror movie, which was directed by the now 21-year-old Kane Parsons based on his creepypasta-inspired web series, stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as the owner of a furniture store who discovers that he can access a terrifying, yellow-walled liminal space from the basement showroom. 2026's Backrooms, which debuted on May 29 (the weekend after Memorial Day, which typically kicks off the summer blockbuster season in the United States), has grossed a whopping $402 million worldwide against a reported budget of just $10 million, making it A24's highest-grossing movie of all time. The Ultimate · Horror Quote Challenge Name That Horror Movie “They’re coming to get you, Barbara.” ☠1960s 🔪1970s 👻1980s 💀1990s 🎭2000s ENTER IF YOU DARE → 01 Which horror movie features this iconic line?“I am your number one fan.” ASingle White Female (1992) BCape Fear (1991) CMisery (1990) DFatal Attraction (1987) ✓ Correct! Annie Wilkes’s obsessive declaration to author Paul Sheldon in Misery — Kathy Bates won the Oscar for this role. ✗ Not quite — it’s Misery (1990). Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes delivers this line before things get very, very painful for her favorite author. NEXT → 02 Which horror movie features this iconic line?“We all go a little mad sometimes.” APeeping Tom (1960) BThe Birds (1963) CWhatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) DPsycho (1960) ✓ Correct! Norman Bates’s unsettling confession in Hitchcock’s Psycho — the film that invented the slasher. ✗ Not quite — it’s Psycho (1960). Norman Bates delivers this chilling line to Marion Crane before the shower scene changes cinema forever. NEXT → 03 Which horror movie features this iconic line?“Here’s Johnny!” AThe Amityville Horror (1979) BPoltergeist (1982) CThe Changeling (1980) DThe Shining (1980) ✓ Correct! Jack Nicholson’s terrifying ad-lib as he axes through the bathroom door in The Shining. ✗ Not quite — it’s The Shining (1980). Nicholson improvised this line while hacking through the door — Kubrick kept the cameras rolling. NEXT → 04 Which horror movie features this iconic line?“They’re all gonna laugh at you!” ACarrie (1976) BThe Exorcist (1973) CThe Omen (1976) DSuspiria (1977) ✓ Correct! Margaret White’s cruel warning to her daughter before prom night turns deadly in Carrie. ✗ Not quite — it’s Carrie (1976). Piper Laurie as Margaret White torments her telekinetic daughter with this prophetic warning. NEXT → 05 Which horror movie features this iconic line?“One, two, Freddy’s coming for you.” AFriday the 13th (1980) BChild’s Play (1988) CHellraiser (1987) DA Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) ✓ Correct! The eerie children’s jump-rope rhyme that haunts the dreams of Elm Street. ✗ Not quite — it’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). The nursery rhyme warning of Freddy Krueger’s arrival. All five are iconic slashers, but only one invades your dreams. NEXT → 06 Which horror movie features this iconic line?“I want to play a game.” AHostel (2005) BSaw (2004) CThe Collector (2009) DCube (1997) ✓ Correct! Jigsaw’s signature greeting, delivered through his puppet Billy in Saw. ✗ Not quite — it’s Saw (2004). The Jigsaw Killer’s chilling invitation before his victims face impossible choices. NEXT → 07 Which horror movie features this iconic line?“It was the boogeyman.” ABlack Christmas (1974) BThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) CHalloween (1978) DWhen a Stranger Calls (1979) ✓ Correct! Laurie Strode’s terrified whisper to Dr. Loomis after surviving Michael Myers in Halloween. ✗ Not quite — it’s Halloween (1978). Laurie Strode whispers this to Dr. Loomis, who replies: “As a matter of fact, it was.” NEXT → 08 Which horror movie features this iconic line?“It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.” ASe7en (1995) BAmerican Psycho (2000) CRed Dragon (2002) DThe Silence of the Lambs (1991) ✓ Correct! Buffalo Bill’s skin-crawling command to his captive in The Silence of the Lambs. ✗ Not quite — it’s The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Buffalo Bill delivers this disturbing line from his basement. All five films feature serial killers, but only one has this scene. REVEAL MY SCORE → The Body Count Your Survival Score 💀 / 8 Did you survive the horror quiz? ↻ SURVIVE AGAIN Per Variety, Backrooms - which recently hit the $400 million milestone worldwide after 12 weeks in theaters - has helped propel the independent media company to an unexpected upset at the domestic box office. A24 was the No. 4 distributor over the summer blockbuster season in terms of domestic market share thanks to $237 million from its theatrical releases, beating the market shares of the major studios Warner Bros. ($165 million) and Paramount ($192 million). While A24 was bested by Disney ($664 million, mostly generated by Toy Story 5), Sony ($978.8 million thanks primarily to Spider-Man: Brand New Day), and Universal ($1.12 billion, propelled by Obsession and The Odyssey), it has managed to compete at a level that is unusually high for the company, which is not generally known for summer blockbusters. In addition to the huge amount that Backrooms pulled in over the summer, A24 also put out other notable movies in domestic theaters, including the Olivia Wilde comedy The Invite ($26 million domestic, $55.7 million worldwide) and the Anthony Bourdain biopic Tony ($15 million domestic, $18.3 million worldwide). A24 also put out the Michael Sarnoski drama The Death of Robin Hood, which underperformed with $5.3 million at the domestic box office. In addition to Backrooms helping lift up A24, the company benefitted from the underperformance of some notable titles from its competitors. This includes the DC Studios movie Supergirl, which was a major disappointment for Warner Bros. when it grossed just $126.4 million worldwide against its reported budget of more than $170 million. While WB also put out Evil Dead Burn, which turned a profit with $72.3 million against its reported $20 million budget, their dinosaur movie The End of Oak Street underperformed with $119 million against roughly $90 million. Meanwhile, outside of the horror-comedy legacy sequel Scary Movie ($231.9 million against $30 million), Paramount put out a slew of mid-level movies that did fine on their own terms, but failed to ignite into blockbuster successes, including Jackass: Best and Last ($27.8 million against $10 million) and Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie ($147 million against $40 million). Backrooms alone managed to best the majority of the titles put out by either rival studio. It remains to be seen if A24 will be able to continue building the momentum that Backrooms has generated. They have recently courted controversy with the announcement that they are partnering with Google to develop AI filmmaking tools, which could tarnish their reputation. However, they do have some major titles coming soon. While they don't have any movies yet dated for summer 2027, they are behind the anticipated video game adaptation Elden Ring. Additionally, Parsons has reportedly signed on to develop Backrooms 2. Enjoy ScreenRant's box office coverage? Click below to sign up for my weekly box office newsletter (make sure to check "Box Office" in your preferences) and get exclusive analysis, predictions, and more: Sign Up Release Date May 27, 2026 Runtime 110 minutes Director Kane Parsons Writers Will Soodik Producers Chris Ferguson, Dan Cohen, Dan Levine, James Wan, Jenno Topping, Kori Adelson, Michael Clear, Osgood Perkins, Peter Chernin, Roberto Patino, Shawn Levy