Horror Film Based on YouTube Series Sets A24 Preview Record
A new horror movie adapted from a YouTube series grossed $10.4 million in Thursday previews, exceeding the studio's prior record. The film is positioned to surpass the second-weekend performance of a current Star Wars release.
variety.comA new horror movie adapted from a YouTube series grossed $10.4 million in Thursday previews, exceeding the studio's prior record. The film is positioned to surpass the second-weekend performance of a current Star Wars release. The movie, titled "The Backrooms," is based on a YouTube series of the same name.
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It shattered the previous A24 Thursday-preview record of $2.9 million set by "Civil War" in 2024.
Original projections placed the opening weekend between $40 million and $50 million. That range would place the film ahead of the second-weekend estimate of roughly $40 million for Disney's "Mandalorian and Grogu." The performance follows another recent horror release directed by a 26-year-old filmmaker that has already exceeded $68 million domestically.
The director uploaded the original short film four years ago at age 16. The short has accumulated more than 78 million views, and the full series exceeds 220 million views. The director signed with A24 at age 19, becoming the studio's youngest director.
"Everything Everywhere All at Once" remains A24's highest-grossing film but opened in limited release without a conventional Thursday preview, leaving the new record available.
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