Kane Parsons Becomes Youngest Director to Top North American Box Office With 'Backrooms'
A 20-year-old first-time feature director, who started as a YouTuber making a creepypasta-inspired web series, has delivered A24's highest-grossing film ever on a $10 million budget.
Reporting from 1 sources: Cinema Today.
Kane Parsons, the 20-year-old director of A24's 'Backrooms,' saw the film open at No. 1 in North America with $81.4 million over its first three days, the best opening in A24 history. The film has grossed over $212 million worldwide, setting a new A24 record. Parsons created the original web series in 2022 at age 16.
Kane Parsons was 16 when he uploaded the first episode of 'Backrooms' to YouTube in January 2022. By 17, A24 had signed him to direct a feature adaptation. Now 20, his debut film opened in 3,442 North American theaters on May 29 and earned $81.4 million in three days-the best opening in A24's history and the best for an original horror film. The worldwide gross has passed $212 million, surpassing 'Marty Supreme: Seize the World' to become A24's highest-grossing release. The film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, and Finn Bennett, and was shot in Vancouver from July to August 2025 on a $10 million budget.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.