Receipts: From Youtuber To Blockbuster, ‘Backrooms’ Is Box Office Gold

Domestic: June is just getting started, but we have so many films to cover. Last month left off with very strong indie films dominating the box office and big studio blockbusters falling short, but have things stayed the same, or did another film shake things up again? Let's take a look at the numbers. 

Backrooms is doing amazingly well for A24, with an opening gross of $81 million, breaking records for the studio. This is an extreme success for the director, Kane Parsons, who got his start on YouTube. This film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, who has led many other critically acclaimed films like 12 Years a Slave and Doctor Strange. Currently, Backrooms has made its way to the 9th spot in the worldwide Top Ten, grossing roughly $250 million, and is still climbing due to social engagement. There might be a battle of the indie darlings coming, as Obsession and Backrooms are only $38 million apart in sales worldwide.

Speaking of Obsession, this film is still doing numbers in the box office, still pulling in double digits with 32 days in the box office, and Curry Barker is not stopping here. He signed a 7-figure deal for his next film, sight unseen. We now know that Anything But Ghosts is in the works for Blumhouse, a Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot for A24 is on the table, and an expansion of the Obsession world. Needless to say, there is more to come for fans of Barker, and this could be the start of the shift to prioritizing indie filmmaking in the industry. 

Scary Movie 6 has come back after 13 long years since the last installment of the franchise, and it came back with a bang. This film grossed around $105 million during its opening weekend, which surpassed its projected numbers and broke its franchise record for largest weekend opening. 

Masters of the Universe was not a master in the box office, only grossing about $86 million against a roughly $200 million budget. This Amazon Studios-backed Mattel adaptation just isn’t resonating with audiences, especially when theaters are already stacked with other stellar films. The film dropped 70% in its second weekend, only grossing 8.6 million dollars. It is possible that this film might be released on streaming sooner than expected, so the studio can cut its losses. 

Michael surpasses $900 million worldwide and is on track to gross a billion dollars worldwide, making this the highest grossing movie in biopic history. This is a great achievement for Lionsgate and Director Antoine Fuqua. Based on the numbers, there would be no surprise if a sequel is announced soon. 

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie becomes the first film of 2026 to surpass $1 billion dollars, but Michael is right on its tail in hopes of surpassing their numbers. However, with Toy Story 5 coming out very soon, it is possible that this Disney film will come through and blow Super Mario out of the water. 

International: It has been a slow week for international films, many of them doing limited releases or getting lost behind the force of American blockbusters. However, there are two films worth noting.

The Chinese film, The Furious, had a worldwide opening of roughly $16 million. A large chunk of this film revenue comes from the Chinese market, but the U.S. market grosses 6 figures, roughly $3 million. The film follows a father's fight against kidnappers who abducted his daughter. 

Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, a film from the United Arab Emirates, grossed roughly $377 thousand. Most of these sales come from the Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa markets. The film is a romantic drama filled with love, secrets, and complicated relationships. 

Streaming: Audiences can always count on streaming to showcase the beauty of international films. Let’s take a look at the numbers from 6/8 through 6/14.

​This Indian-Hindi language comedy-horror film, Bhooth Bangla, debuts in the Top 3rd place during its first week on Netflix. The film pulls in roughly 5 million views with a runtime of two hours and forty-three minutes. The film follows a man who books a palace for his sister's wedding ceremony, but a series of supernatural events force him to investigate the palace further. 

The 4th-ranked spot globally goes to Maa Behen. This Indian-Hindi language film is the second film to rank on the global streaming charts, pulling in about 3.3 million views with a two-hour and eight-minute runtime. The film follows a mother and her two daughters finding a corpse in their kitchen and trying to hide the crime from their conservative, nosy neighbors. 

Mexico 86 is the 5th-ranked film on the non-English charts, pulling in 2.4 million views against a runtime of one hour and thirty-eight minutes. This film is a dark, satirical story following a bureaucrat's schemes to ensure Mexico wins the 1986 World Cup. 

The film, 29, an Indian Tamil-language romantic drama, takes the 7th-ranked spot on the global Top Ten. This film follows an awkward young man who is searching for the purpose of life. Through a series of misadventures, he falls in love and finds his purpose. 

That's a wrap for the box office numbers so far. The next article will feature blockbuster Toy Story 5 and indie hopeful Leviticus. Trust that this article will be on top of those numbers, providing top-of-the-line news and the most accurate box office updates. Until next time!