‘Backrooms’ Shatters Box Office Records With USD 81M Debut, ‘Obsession’ Soars, ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Drops 70%
In a historic shift at the global box office, 'Backrooms' secured the top spot worldwide and 'Obsession' defied traditional theatrical depreciation with rare week-over-weekend gains, Disney’s big-budget sci-fi tentpole The Mandalorian and Grogu' suffered a steep decline in numbers.
An unprecedented shift in audience habits upended the global box office this weekend as A24’s low-budget horror film Backrooms secured the number-one spot with a staggering USD 81.5 million North American debut. The independent feature easily outperformed legacy franchise competition, leaving Walt Disney Studios' USD 165 million blockbuster The Mandalorian and Grogu in third place following a steep 70% second-weekend decline. Meanwhile, the breakout horror hit Obsession sustained its historic theatrical run, capturing second place with a rare third-weekend ticket sales increase. ‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Conquers Global Box Office With USD 165 Million; ‘Obsession’ Surpasses USD 70 Million Worldwide.
'Backrooms' Shatters Independent Film Records
Directed by 20-year-old first-time filmmaker and YouTube creator Kane Parsons, Backrooms exceeded all industry projections by collecting USD 81.5 million from 3,442 domestic locations. The psychological thriller, which cost an estimated USD 10 million to produce, has accumulated USD 118 million globally over its initial three-day frame. The debut marks the highest-grossing opening weekend in history for distributor A24, vastly outpacing the previous record of USD 25.5 million set by Civil War.
Furthermore, tracking data indicates the film has set new historical benchmarks as both the largest debut ever for an original horror film and the highest-grossing start for a non-franchise debut by a first-time director.
‘Obsession’ Secures Unprecedented Third-Week Gains
Defying standard box office depreciation, the Focus Features horror breakout Obsession experienced a 10% surge in its third weekend of wide release, earning USD 26.4 million from 2,781 cinemas. Directed by 26-year-old YouTuber Curry Barker on a nominal budget of less than USD 1 million, the film has now brought in USD 106 million domestically and roughly USD 150 million globally.
According to studio data, Obsession is the first non-holiday wide-release film since 1982's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial to post back-to-back weekend-over-weekend box office increases in its second and third frames. The performance firmly establishes the film as the highest-grossing domestic release in the history of Focus Features, overtaking the USD 96.8 million record previously held by the 2019 Downton Abbey film.
‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Tumbles in Second Frame
In stark contrast to the independent horror surges, Disney and Lucasfilm's The Mandalorian and Grogu fell sharply in its sophomore outing. The space opera spinoff experienced an approximate 70% drop in ticket sales, pulling in USD 25 million from 4,300 theaters to finish the weekend in third place. Despite the steep domestic decline, the film has grossed USD 137.4 million in North America and a cumulative USD 246.6 million worldwide. ‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu’ First Reactions: Netizens Call Pedro Pascal and Jon Favreau’s Sci-Fi Film ‘Thrilling Adventure With Big Fights’.
Industry analysts note that while the title faced structural hurdles attempting to transition a Disney+ streaming property back to the big screen after a seven-year theatrical hiatus for the franchise, the film continues to generate steady secondary revenue through global toy and merchandise sales.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 01, 2026 06:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
