Director Kane Parsons has made history as the youngest filmmaker to top the North American box office with his debut feature film.
The 20-year-old filmmaker achieved this milestone with his conceptual horror film Backrooms, which generated $81 million during its opening weekend, according to The Guardian.
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This performance far exceeded expectations and set a historic opening weekend record for production studio A24.
Parsons broke the age record previously held by director Josh Trank, who was 27 when his debut movie Chronicle earned $22 million in its opening weekend in 2011.
From Viral Series to Theatrical Success
The film draws inspiration from the viral internet "creepypasta" lore and is based on Parsons' own popular YouTube video series about an endless labyrinth of interconnected spaces.
The Guardian's chief critic Peter Bradshaw described the theatrical release as "an icily brilliant and genuinely disturbing conceptual horror film."
Parsons' young age sparked intense online skepticism, with some internet users claiming he did not actually direct the film.
Actor Mark Duplass quickly defended Parsons online, stating: "Hmmm, with all due respect I don’t remember seeing you on set.
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When I was there, Kane was 100% in control. More so than many directors 3x his age."
Parsons addressed the rumors with a satirical response about Hollywood operations: "This is actually all true.
They don’t tell you this, but 96% of all movies released in North America and Europe are actually directed by the same person.
They call him ‘The Older Gentleman’."
The success of Backrooms mirrors the box office trajectory of another low-budget independent horror film, Obsession, directed by 26-year-old Curry Barker.
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Obsession debuted on May 15 with a $17.1 million opening weekend and has accumulated $104.7 million after four weeks in theaters.
