Kane Parsons' film« Behind the scenes »" has had a stellar start in theaters, which will undoubtedly change A24's strategy for releasing the film digitally on streaming platforms.
Movie "« Backrooms, directed by YouTuber Parsons and based on his web series Backrooms » , was released in theaters on Friday and is expected to Deadline и Variety, By Sunday, its box office gross is expected to be between $85 million and $90 million.
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In the film, Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Clark, the owner of a used furniture store who, after repeated power outages, descends into the basement of his store. There, Clark discovers an interdimensional portal leading to a labyrinth of eerie borderlands, home to strange objects and evil creatures.
After Clark tells his therapist, Mary (Renate Rainswe, about his experience in these spaces, known as "Backstage," she initially doubts her client. However, after receiving a cryptic message from Clark that he is trapped in "Backstage," Mary ventures into the borderlands to find him and encounters the terrifying entities that inhabit them.
The film "Backrooms"« was released by independent studio A24, which in the last couple of years has released such acclaimed films as the dystopian action film «"Civil war"» , a horror film «"Heretic"» starring Hugh Grant and a comedy horror film «"Death of the Unicorn" with Jenna Ortega.
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A24 recently released the Oscar-nominated sports comedy «Marty Supreme» starring Timothée Chalamet , as well as a romantic drama «"Drama"» starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson .
Like many other studios, A24 typically adheres to a specific schedule for the release of its theatrical releases on digital streaming-on-demand (PVOD) services. However, the success of some of A24's theatrical releases sometimes leads to an expanded release window for the studio's films in theaters and on PVOD platforms.
Typically, there is a gap of about a month—32 days, to be exact—between the theatrical release of A24 films and their availability on PVOD platforms. For example, «"Heretic"» hit PVOD on December 10, 2024, 32 days after its theatrical release on November 8, 2024; and «Death of the Unicorn» debuted on PVOD on April 29, 2025, 32 days after its theatrical release on March 28, 2025.
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Just recently, on May 5th, film "Drama"« appeared on paid video on demand (PVOD) platforms, 32 days after its theatrical premiere on April 3.
Does this mean that viewers will be able to watch «Backrooms» On PVOD 32 days after the May 29th premiere, meaning Tuesday, June 30th? Not quite.
A24's biggest hits tend to have a longer period between their theatrical release and their release on PVOD platforms.
Regardless of whether it will collect «Behind the Scenes» With $85 or $90 million this weekend, the film has already secured the biggest opening weekend in the history of A24 films. Previously, the record was held by «"Civil war"» , which earned $25.5 million at the domestic box office in its opening weekend (April 12-14, 2024).
The film "Civil War"« grossed $127.4 million worldwide ($68.7 million domestic, $58.6 million international), becoming A24's highest-grossing release. The film's success also led to an extended window between its theatrical release and its PVOD release. «"Civil war"» , which premiered on April 12, 2024, hit PVOD only 42 days later, on May 24, 2024.
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Another example of a longer period between theatrical release and PVOD release from A24 is the film «Marty Supreme» , which hit PVOD on February 10, 48 days after its wide release in North American theaters on December 25, 2025. «Marty Supreme» became A24's highest-grossing film to date during its theatrical run, earning $96 million domestically and $53.8 million internationally for a total worldwide box office gross of $149.8 million.
Of course, with its projected opening weekend box office takings reaching $90 million, it's safe to say that «Behind the Scenes» will become A24's next highest-grossing film. Given the precedent set by the success of «Civil War» и «Marty Supreme» , viewers should expect that «Behind the Scenes» will have a similar time gap between its theatrical release and its release on paid video-on-demand platforms, and will hit the home video market 45 days after its theatrical premiere, which will mean a release on digital streaming platforms on July 14.
Coincidentally, the 45-day window from theatrical release to PVOD release is becoming an increasingly common industry standard among major studios. This timeframe was recently adopted by Paramount Pictures, and Universal Pictures will begin implementing it in 2027.
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Since A24 is an independent studio, it's unlikely to follow industry trends, but the company has certainly shown it's willing to keep films exclusive to theaters longer when ticket sales are strong.
As for when «Backrooms» will appear on the streaming service HBO Max (A24 has a paid SVOD deal for almost all of its films on the Warner Bros. Discovery streaming platform), the release period for films from theaters to SVOD is generally the same for all of a studio's films, regardless of whether they are a big hit in theaters ( «Marty Supreme »") or not ("« Death of a Unicorn »).
Since it typically takes three and a half to four months after A24 films are released on HBO Max, «Backrooms» is scheduled to hit the SVOD platform between September 18 and October 5, as new films typically appear on the streaming service on Fridays.
The film "Behind the Scenes"« (Backrooms) The R-rated film is playing in theaters nationwide.
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This article was originally published on Forbes.com.