\n<\/p>\n
\n\tEXCLUSIVE: <\/strong>There\u2019s nothing better than the positive unexpected at the summer box office, and we could have that in A24\/Chern\/Atomic Monster\u2019s Backrooms<\/strong> <\/em>which looks to do around $20M<\/strong> when it opens in the post Memorial Day corridor of May 29-31. <\/p>\n \n\tThe movie, which literally just finished post-production, arrived on tracking this morning. <\/p>\n \n\tShould those projections hold, that\u2019s a great result for a movie which cost under $10M (financed by Chernin), and one which is opening in the wake of Lucasfilm\/Disney\u2019s Star Wars: Mandalorian and Grogu<\/em>s without any PLF or Imax screens. <\/p>\n \n\tThe sense with Backrooms <\/em>is that there\u2019s a stickiness around it with the under 25 set who are rabid fans of the Kane Pixels created IP from 2019. The IP launched on 4chan, spread on Reddit and fan wikis, and inspired games on Roblox and Minecraft. The lore built slowly in 2022 when Pixels (who goes by Kate Parsons and directed the movie) then a 16-year-old, transformed the tale into a cinematic universe with found footage via Blender and Unreal Engine to create the YouTube series The Backrooms: Found Footage<\/em>. That content racked up 190M views. There\u2019s a feeling with Backrooms <\/em>per box office sources that it has a \u201cby us, for us\u201d sensibility for its fans. The movie stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve and Mark Duplass. Pic\u2019s blurb: After a therapist\u2019s patient disappears into a dimension beyond reality, she must venture into the unknown to save him.<\/p>\n \n\tBackrooms <\/em>arrives in theaters two weekends after Focus Features\/Blumhouse\/Atomic Monster\u2019s Curry Barker directed romance horror film Obsession <\/em>which looks to be north of $10M in its domestic start. Though born from a YouTube genre sensation, that film is a different kind of comp when compared to Backrooms. Obsession <\/em>is fresh IP, while there\u2019s a cult appeal with Backrooms. <\/em>Earlier this year, Markiplier\u2019s indie made Iron Lung <\/em>based on the 2022 videogame surprised at the late January B.O. with a $17.8M fan-fueled opening, legging out to $40.8M domestic, and over $50M global off a $3M production cost. <\/p>\n