Updated
Updated · Dazed · Jun 4
Backrooms Opens to $81.4 Million as Article Revisits 8 Films Drawn From Internet Lore
Updated
Updated · Dazed · Jun 4

Backrooms Opens to $81.4 Million as Article Revisits 8 Films Drawn From Internet Lore

3 articles · Updated · Dazed · Jun 4

Summary

  • $81.4 million gave Backrooms the biggest opening ever for an A24 film, prompting a new review of eight movies adapted from creepypastas, viral games and other online myths.
  • Kane Parsons' feature is framed as a breakout for a subgenre with a patchy record, with the article noting overwhelmingly positive reviews alongside records for both A24 and the youngest director to top the U.S. box office.
  • The retrospective contrasts that success with earlier internet-lore films such as 2018's Slender Man, which drew harsh reviews and an 8% Rotten Tomatoes score, and more mixed efforts including Five Nights at Freddy's and The Soviet Sleep Experiment.
  • It also broadens the category beyond direct adaptations, citing titles from We're All Going to the World's Fair to AI-era short The Valley Where Loab Lives as examples of how online folklore is increasingly feeding cinema.

Insights

How did a viral internet meme become A24's highest-grossing film and a new hope for the cinema industry?
Will the record-breaking 'Backrooms' expand its universe to challenge the dominance of established horror franchises?
Can a 20-year-old YouTuber prove that internet creators are Hollywood's most valuable new talent pipeline?