- Home
- Movies
- Backrooms smashes record in UK and Ireland and knocks Star Wars film from top of box office
❚ We may earn commission from links on this page. Our editorial is always independent (learn more).
Backrooms smashes record in UK and Ireland and knocks Star Wars film from top of box office
The horror film from young director Kane Parsons is a major hit.
A24
- Patrick Cremona
Published: Tuesday, 2 June 2026 at 3:50 pm
Subscribe to Radio Times: 10 issues for £10
A new record has been broken at the UK & Ireland box office – with A24's Backrooms enjoying the studio's highest-grossing opening weekend ever in the territory.
Ad
The film – adapted by 20-year-old writer/director Kane Parsons from his YouTube series of the same name – grossed £4.2 million after its release on Friday 29 May, surpassing Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu in the box office charts in the process.
It has also been hugely successful across the Atlantic, with its overall global total currently standing at $118 million. That's especially impressive when we take into account that the film was made for just $10 million, which means it has already made it's budget back more than ten times over.
It also means that the film is already number 5 on the list of highest-grossing A24 releases globally, behind only Marty Supreme, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Drama and Civil War.
It seems highly likely that the buzz will continue for at least another few weeks – especially when we consider the success of another major new horror release, Obsession – and so it seems very possible that it will eventually take the number one spot on that list.
Backrooms stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as a store owner named Clark who disappears into an otherworldly dimension of never-ending office spaces, with Renate Reinsve playing the therapist who goes in search of him and also gets drawn into the mysterious world.
It has received enthusiastic reviews from critics, with our own 4-star review calling it an "unflinchingly eerie sci-fi horror", adding that "the real star here is the setting and its fascinating metamorphosis from the bland to the downright uncanny".
Want to see this content?
This page contains content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.
Accept and continue
Backrooms is released in UK cinemas on Friday 29 May.
Ad
Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Patrick CremonaSenior Film Writer
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
Ad
Ad
Subscribe for £1 per week
Too much to watch this autumn? Let Radio Times magazine and app do the choosing, with expert picks across TV, streaming and film.
Loading...
Ad
Loading...