The film "Behind the Scenes" has reached a major box office milestone in record time. This acclaimed horror film from YouTuber Kain Parsons earned $100 million in just six days of release. Most arthouse films are lucky to reach that mark. end rental - especially in the current fragmented situation on the film distribution market.
With this box office haul, "Behind the Scenes" also takes the top spot among A24's highest-grossing films at the U.S. box office, surpassing the record set last December by "Marty Supreme," which grossed $96 million. "Marty Supreme," starring Timothée Chalamet as a ping-pong phenom, remains the highest-grossing independent studio film worldwide with $191 million, though "Behind the Scenes" is set to surpass that record soon.
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This past weekend, Behind the Scenes exceeded expectations, grossing $81 million domestically and $118 million worldwide. The film achieved the biggest debut in A24 history, more than tripling the record set by Alex Garland's 2024 thriller Civil War ($25.5 million). It also achieved the biggest opening ever for an original horror film. Meanwhile, Parsons became the youngest director to ever open at No. 1 at the box office, surpassing Josh Trank's record of 27-year-old Chronicle, which opened to $22 million. Given these unprecedented numbers, it's unclear how much the film will earn in its second run, though analysts are projecting between $48 million and $50 million for the Friday-Sunday period.
The film "Backstage" is based on Parsons' popular web series about liminal spaces—eerie, seemingly endless rooms and structures that originated on 4chan and gained popularity over the years on online forums like Reddit and TikTok. The story follows a furniture store owner (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who discovers a secret door leading to a seemingly endless series of unremarkable rooms. When he disappears, his therapist (Renate Reinswe) ventures into the unknown to save him. A24 and Chernin Entertainment co-financed "Backstage" for approximately $10 million, meaning the film has already made a huge profit. While a sequel has yet to be announced, Parsons has already hinted at the idea of turning "Backstage" into a film franchise.
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