Studio A24 has officially greenlit a sequel to horror movie The Backrooms after director Kane Parsons signed a contract with the company following massive global box office success.
The renewal was confirmed through the official social media account of the project and industry insiders at Dread Central after the initial film generated substantial theater returns during its spring release.
The feature film arrived in global theaters on May 29, 2026, earning nearly 390 million dollars worldwide against a production budget of 10 million dollars.
The movie developed from a viral YouTube series created by Parsons, which A24 adapted into a feature length story for the big screen.
Parsons was 16 years old when he published the original video titled The Backrooms (Found Footage) on his YouTube channel, which subsequently expanded into a popular series of short films.
Now 21 years old, the American YouTuber, director, musician, and visual effects artist released the feature film adaptation at age 20 under his online moniker Kane Pixels.
Following the theatrical run, Parsons became the youngest director in the history of studio A24 to have a feature film reach the top spot at the box office.
A24 is an American independent entertainment company known for producing critically acclaimed genre films, including hit horror titles such as Hereditary and Midsommar, as well as Oscar winning features.
Box Office Success and Creative Freedom
Film critic and blogger Yevgeny Bazhenov, widely known online as BadComedian, offered his perspective on the film success in comments provided to Russian news outlet National News Service (NSN).
Bazhenov is one of Russia most prominent film reviewers, known for detailed video essays evaluating theatrical releases and cinema industry trends.
Bazhenov explained that the primary factor behind the success of The Backrooms was the decision to leave the foundational lore of the original web project intact.
He noted that Parsons had spent years proving he understood what his audience wanted, prompting the studio to avoid interfering in the established backstory and lore of the fictional universe.
Bazhenov highlighted this approach as a sensible strategy, contrasting it with domestic and Western filmmakers who often take source material and alter it against audience expectations.
To illustrate studio involvement, Bazhenov compared the project to the independent horror film Obsession. He stated that Obsession was filmed by an independent YouTuber in just 20 days with a budget of 750,000 dollars, going on to earn over 505 million dollars globally.
While Obsession achieved a higher profit ratio relative to its production cost, Bazhenov observed that The Backrooms benefited significantly from studio support on the technical side.
He noted that A24 provided technical polish without interfering in the creative process, giving the final product the appearance of a major studio release rather than a movie made on a knee.
Bazhenov added that strong box office returns show low-investment horror films can deliver extraordinary financial results that rival or surpass major corporate projects from studios like Disney, describing the trend as absurd yet real.
Expanding the Backrooms Universe
Looking ahead to the sequel, Bazhenov predicted that the second installment could turn out even better than the original film.
He described the vast world of The Backrooms as offering numerous possibilities for story development and enrichment, provided the creators focus on storytelling rather than financial extraction.
Bazhenov remarked that he viewed the initial film as a launching pad for implementing larger ideas, serving as an initial attempt to satisfy viewers without fully revealing the concept potential.
Regarding financial performance, Bazhenov anticipated that the sequel would match or exceed the earnings of the first movie.
He reasoned that strong audience ratings indicate widespread viewer satisfaction, adding that introducing interesting innovations in promotional trailers would likely drive even higher box office figures.
The fictional universe of The Backrooms originated as an internet urban legend describing an endless labyrinth of randomly generated, vacant office spaces characterized by yellow wallpaper and fluorescent lighting.
Digital Creators Transforming Cinema
Bazhenov concluded that the transition of internet creators into traditional filmmaking has become a standard feature of the entertainment industry.
He noted that film studios naturally seek out online influencers who possess established audiences, comparing the shift to earlier eras when creators entered cinema from music, books, and theater productions.
News of the sequel first began circulating through horror media outlets, including Dread Central, an American publication dedicated to news and coverage of independent genre films.
In related film news reported by NSN, film critic Alexander Golubchikov recently shared comments with the Telegram channel Radiotochka NSN regarding another high-profile project.
Golubchikov expressed confidence that director David Fincher will produce a worthy sequel to Quentin Tarantino hit movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Fincher is acclaimed for directing psychological thrillers such as Se7en and Fight Club, while Tarantino released Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in 2019 to widespread commercial and critical acclaim.
