A 20-year-old filmmaker who started making videos in his bedroom is about to knock legends off the list. He is set to become the youngest director ever to open at number one.
Just a few years ago, Kane Parsons was a teenager making horror shorts in his bedroom and uploading them to YouTube. This Friday, he is on the verge of making Hollywood history.
‘Backrooms’ Tracking for Massive $40–50 Million Debut
Parsons’ debut feature, the A24 horror thriller ‘Backrooms,’ is tracking for a domestic opening between $40 million and $50 million when it hits theaters on May 29. If the film hits the high end of those projections and lands at number one, Parsons will become the youngest filmmaker in history to top the domestic box office during an opening weekend. He would be 20 years old, shattering a record held for over 40 years by a young Steven Spielberg.
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The journey to this historic moment is deeply rooted in the digital age. Parsons, known online as “Kane Pixels,” built a massive following by creating his own lore for the ‘Backrooms,’ a notorious creepypasta about an endless, liminal space of yellow, buzzing office rooms that exists beneath reality. His found-footage style videos, which visualize the unnerving dread of being trapped in that purgatory, racked up tens of millions of views.
The industry also took notice. With a modest production budget estimated at roughly $10 million(or even as low as $8 million by some accounts), A24 and producers like James Wan and Shawn Levy backed Parsons to expand his vision into a full-length feature. The result is a psychological horror film starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve, following a therapist who must enter the dimension to save a missing patient.
Historic Records on the Line
The momentum for ‘Backrooms‘ has been building like a slow-burning horror score. Early projections two weeks ago placed the film at a
$20millionopening. However, according to box office trackers at Empire City, presales have exploded, currently pacing at levels similar to ‘Scream7,’ which opened to 64 million.
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If the current forecast holds, Parsons will achieve the following milestones.
Youngest number one director ever – At 20, he would beat the record held by Josh Trank (27, for ‘Chronicle’) and, more notably, Steven Spielberg (28, for ‘Jaws’). Spielberg held that “young genius” record for nearly 40 years.
A24’s biggest opening – The studio’s current record is held by Alex Garland’s ‘Civil War‘ with $25.5 million. ‘Backrooms‘ is projected to nearly double that figure.
The death of the “YouTube curse” – Following the success of ‘Iron Lung‘ (starring Markiplier) and ‘Obsession,’ ‘Backrooms’ solidifies a new trend where digital creators are not just pulling in niche audiences; they are conquering the mainstream box office.
Hollywood Defends the 20-Year-Old Filmmaker
The pressure on a 20-year-old is immense, but Parsons has earned defenders in high places. Co-star Mark Duplass recently praised Parsons’ unique vision, noting that the director’s deep understanding of internet age terror gives the film an authenticity that studio veterans cannot replicate.
With reviews expected to drop early next week, the only question left is just how high the yellow wallpaper goes. If the tracking is correct, when the weekend box office tallies come in, a 20-year-old YouTuber will be standing where Spielberg once stood.
‘Backrooms‘ opens exclusively in theaters on May 29, 2026.
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