By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: A24 via AP
“Backrooms,” a psychological horror movie, collected $82 million domestically and $118 million worldwide in its opening weekend.
Kane Parsons is 20 years old. Parsons becomes A24’s youngest filmmaker to make a film. Parsons started as a YouTube creator, and now he is living the dream with massive box office success. A24 has had its eye on the filmmaker for the last three years. His YouTube videos grabbed their attention, and he has gone viral on YouTube and TikTok.
No one expected this movie to make more than $80 million at the box office. No other movie studio takes more risks and believes in young filmmakers like A24, which was started in 2012. A24 gave chances to young filmmakers and helped them gain exposure, such as Barry Jenkins, Benny and Josh Safdie, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Alex Garland, Sean Baker, and Celine Song.
The last young filmmaker to reach No. 1 at the box office was Josh Trank for his 2012 film, Chronicle. Trank was 27 years old at the time. A24 has done an impeccable job marketing this movie. The trailer had people wanting to see more, and it fueled moviegoers to attend the movie theaters to support the movie.
Most of the moviegoers who went to see Backroom were Gen Z. About 75 percent of the crowd was between 18 and 25 years old. Backroom started as a short film and then expanded to a feature film. Parsons joined a podcast called Q with Tom Power to discuss the new movie and the psychology of liminal spaces.
Chiwetel Ejiofor is an underrated or underappreciated actor. He’s an Academy Award-nominated actor who pours his heart into any picture he’s attached to. Hopefully, his consistency in this film will be rewarded down the line. The 46-year-old British actor is best known for 12 Years A Slave, The Martian, Dancing on the Edge, and Doctor Strange.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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