Backrooms, the debut feature from director Kane Parsons, is already breaking box-office records, and a sequel has thus been set in motion.
The first half of 2026 has seen a wave of new filmmakers emerging from the internet. In February, Iron Lung, the sub-$3 million film from YouTube creator Markiplier, grossed $40 million at the domestic box office after a brief theatrical run. In May, Curry Barker’s Obsession surprised audiences with $111 million in domestic receipts, earned in just over a week, on a shoestring budget estimated between $750,000 and $1 million. Two weeks later, Backrooms, directed by Kane Parsons, led by Chiwetel Ejiofor and produced by A24, captured all the attention.
With a $10 million budget, the film based on a creepy-pasta (an internet-born urban legend) pulled in $81 million over its opening weekend in the United States, trouncing The Mandalorian & Gorgu. With such a haul, and even as it remains to roll out in some markets (notably France), Backrooms 2 is already in development.
Backrooms to the Future
According to Deadline, Kane Parsons has repeatedly voiced his wish to develop a cinematic anthology derived from Backrooms, arguing that he has pushed the concept as far as it can go on his YouTube channel, Kane Pixels. It could very well be a logical extension of the material he was posting before signing with A24.
Also per Deadline, a second film is already in the works and the director is actively looking for a screenwriter to join him on this new chapter. The first installment was written by Will Soodik[k], best known for his work on several episodes of the series Ash vs Evil Dead. Rumor has it that A24 will also produce this sequel, though no contract has been signed yet.
At this stage, it’s clear that no casting details have been released yet. In addition to Chiwetel Ejiofor, the cast of this “first” installment reportedly includes Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value, Julie (in 12 Chapters)), Mark Duplass (The Morning Show, Creep), Finn Bennett (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms), Lukita Maxwell (Shrinking, The Evil AI) and Avan Jogia (Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City).
To catch the Backrooms craze on French screens, you’ll have to wait until June 17.
