'Obsession' and 'Backrooms' rewrite box office rules in massive weekend

Box Office 2026: 'Backrooms' leads with $81M debut as 'Obsession' hits $104M while 'Mandalorian' sees steep decline

 Backrooms has delivered a historic opening weekend for A24, earning an estimated $81.4 million domestically and $118 million worldwide to become the studio’s biggest debut to date.

According to a report by Deadline, the sci-fi horror film directed by 20-year-old filmmaker Kane Parsons topped the North American box office and established a new opening-weekend benchmark for A24. The film reportedly surpassed previous records for the studio while also becoming the highest-grossing No. 1 debut from the youngest filmmaker to achieve the feat.

The internet-inspired horror adaptation drew a predominantly young audience, with viewers under 35 accounting for the vast majority of ticket sales. Industry analysts have credited the film’s success to its strong online fanbase and targeted marketing campaign, which helped transform the viral Backrooms phenomenon into a major theatrical event.

Meanwhile, Focus Features’ Obsession continued its remarkable run at the box office. The thriller earned an estimated $28.5 million in its third weekend, bringing its domestic total to more than $106 million. The performance makes Obsession the highest-grossing domestic release in Focus Features history, overtaking previous studio records.

The strong performances of both films pushed Disney and Lucasfilm’s The Mandalorian and Grogu into third place. The Star Wars spin-off added an estimated $25 million in its second weekend, bringing its domestic total to roughly $137 million.

Elsewhere, Sony’s comedy The Breadwinner opened with an estimated $7.5 million, while Focus Features’ World War II drama Pressure debuted with approximately $5.4 million.

The weekend results highlight the growing influence of original genre films and creator-driven projects at the global box office.