Chiwetel Ejiofor in “Backrooms.”
A24
Kane Parsons’ horror thriller Backrooms is projected to take the domestic box office crown away from The Mandalorian and Grogu this weekend after the Star Wars spinoff debuted at No. 1 over the Memorial Day weekend.
Directed by Parsons, Backrooms is based on the YouTube filmmaker’s web series of the same name. The A24 film, in which a strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture store, stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and 2026 Best Actress Oscar nominee Renate Reinsve, along with Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett and Lukita Maxwell.
On Wednesday, Variety projected that Backrooms is projected to open with anywhere from $40 million to $50 million in North American ticket sales this weekend, which easily bests the record opening of A24’s Civil War, which earned $25 million in its first Friday to Sunday frame in 2024.
Perhaps more significant, though, is that if the projection holds for Backrooms — which had a $10 million production budget, per Variety — it will knock the $165 million budgeted The Mandalorian and Grogu out of the top domestic slot after only one week at the top. Variety projects that the first Star Wars movie offering in seven years will earn $40 million in its second weekend.
Variety isn’t alone in projecting that Backrooms will seize the box office crown from The Mandalorian and Grogu. Deadline is projecting a $40 million to $45 million opening for Backrooms (and a $40 million second weekend for the Mando movie).
Box Office Pro is going bigger with its projections for Backrooms, forecasting a $45 million to $55 million opening for the film, a bigger drop-off for The Mandalorian and Grogu with a $30 million to $35 million take in its second weekend.
Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette in “Obsession.”
Focus Features
‘Obsession’ Is Expected To Keep Moviegoers Obsessed In Its Third Weekend Of Release
The biggest box office surprise of 2026, YouTube filmmaker Curry Barker’s $1 million breakout hit Obsession, is projected to have yet another strong weekend.
The supernatural horror thriller, which stars Inde Navarrette and Michael Johnston, defied box office standards in its second weekend with a $23.9 million take, a stunning 39% percent increase in business over its debut weekend, May 15-17.
Variety is projecting a $15 million to $20 million domestic take for Obsession in its third weekend in theaters, while Deadline is being a bit more conservative with a $13 million Friday to Sunday estimate. Box Office Pro, however, is casting a wider net for Obsession in its third weekend with a forecast of $17 million to $22 million.
Joining Backrooms as newcomers to theaters this weekend are Nate Barzgate’s family comedy The Breadwinner and the World War II historical drama Pressure.
The Breadwinner, which is a Sony Pictures Entertainment release, is projected by Variety to earn $8 million in its opening weekend domestically, while the trade publication pegs a $6 million bow for Focus Features’ Pressure.
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