Backrooms’ Sequel Chances Addressed As 90%-Rated Horror Confirmed an Instant Success

The movie Backrooms quickly became a much bigger success than anyone anticipated. Initially, experts predicted an opening weekend of around $25 million, which would have been a good return on its $10 million budget. However, early screenings on Thursday showed unexpectedly high demand, leading to projections of over $50 million. The actual opening weekend results were even more impressive: Backrooms earned $81.4 million in the US and $118 million globally, making it one of A24’s most profitable horror films. This success paves the way for a sequel and potentially a whole series of movies.

Director Kane Parsons shared with Polygon that he envisioned sequels even as he began working on the Backrooms movie. He explained that the film is intended as the first installment in a planned series, allowing him to fully explore the core concept which he believes is too complex for a single movie.

Backrooms Is Set Up Perfectly for a Franchise

Kane Parsons became known for his work with the Backrooms after creating a popular YouTube series. The first episode gained an incredible 79 million views, and his channel now has over 3.1 million subscribers with a total of 24 videos. This success allowed him to create a movie inspired by his series, which originally stemmed from eerie, unsettling photos shared on 4chan. The movie’s popularity confirmed there was a strong interest in this type of horror, and Parsons is now prepared to deliver more content.

According to Parsons, continuing the story beyond the initial release isn’t just a possibility – it’s been the plan since 2022. He took the YouTube series as far as he could, and a feature film then became a viable option. While he personally prefers a series as the best way to tell the complete story, he acknowledges that creating a series is a complex undertaking and won’t happen quickly or easily. He originally anticipated a longer development process, but things are moving faster than expected.

The finale of Backrooms revealed details about the group studying it, and Dr. Mary Kline (Renate Reinsve) realized she wouldn’t survive. This suggested that the Async Research Institute might be the antagonists of the story. However, according to Parsons, the show blends several genres—horror, relationship drama, and a sci-fi thriller—making it uncertain whether A24 will be able to continue the series with a sequel or larger franchise.

The movie Backrooms has been a huge success, and its 20-year-old director, Parsons, is poised for a promising career. Beyond its impressive earnings at the box office, Backrooms has received positive reviews, earning a “Certified Fresh” rating of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes (with an audience score of 74%). It’s on track to become A24’s highest-grossing horror film ever, surpassing Talk to Me, which earned $92 million.

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2026-06-01 00:10