Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Monday, June 1, 2026
Backrooms Opens to $81M Domestic, Shattering A24’s All-Time Record
A24’s Backrooms, directed by 20-year-old YouTube filmmaker Kane Parsons, shattered the studio’s all-time opening weekend record with $81.4 million domestically and $118 million worldwide from 3,442 theaters across the May 29–31 frame. The film—adapted from Parsons’ viral YouTube horror series rooted in an internet urban legend—tripled A24’s previous record holder, Alex Garland’s Civil War ($25.5 million, 2024). Parsons became the youngest director ever to claim the No. 1 spot at the domestic box office. The opening ranks as the biggest debut in history for original horror and the best start for a first-time filmmaker on a non-franchise property.
‘Obsession’ Posts Third Straight Weekend Gain—A First for Wide-Release Horror Outside Christmas
Focus Features and Blumhouse’s Obsession, directed by Curry Barker for a reported $750,000, posted a third-weekend domestic gross of $26.4 million—a 10.2 percent increase over its prior frame—bringing its North American cumulative total to $104.8 million. The film’s three consecutive weekends of growth mark the first time outside of Christmas holidays that a wide-release horror film has risen across each of its first three weekends. Barker, a 26-year-old YouTuber, joins the new wave of digital-native filmmakers generating outsized theatrical returns. CinemaScore of “A-” and a 94 percent Rotten Tomatoes score have driven sustained word-of-mouth.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Variety
How Focus Features’ In-World Campaign Turned ‘Obsession’ Into a $104M Phenomenon
Focus Features’ campaign for Obsession leaned on immersive in-world activations. A replica of the film’s fictional “One Wish Willow” artifact sold out entirely, while an in-world commercial accumulated 4.4 million YouTube views. The studio seeded cryptic “Nikki” billboards across Los Angeles and New York featuring obsessive character messages alongside a live phone number inviting audience interaction. The campaign targeted 18-to-25-year-old moviegoers, who comprised 75 percent of the opening-weekend audience, helping the $750,000-budgeted Blumhouse release become one of the year’s most profitable studio films against a cumulative domestic gross now exceeding $104 million.
Sources: Variety
A24’s Sub-$10M Digital Campaign for ‘Backrooms’ Delivers $118M WW Return
A24’s campaign for Backrooms bypassed traditional advertising in favor of a strategy rooted in the film’s native internet community. The studio seeded Reddit’s Backrooms fan communities and launched Easter eggs at Brazil’s CCXP convention—including in-world flyers and a fax number for fan submissions. Director Kane Parsons engaged directly with fan communities ahead of release. The campaign generated 220 million social media impressions, running 48 percent ahead of original horror benchmarks, while keeping total spend under $10 million—yielding a $118 million worldwide opening and one of the best marketing ROI results in recent studio history.
‘Project Hail Mary’ Leads 2026 Golden Trailer Awards With Five Wins, Including Best of Show
Amazon MGM Studios’ Project Hail Mary swept the 2026 Golden Trailer Awards with five prizes, including the top honor Best of Show, for its trailer titled “Chance,” created by Wild Card Creative Group. The ceremony took place May 28 at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. The film also won Best Drama, Best Fantasy/Adventure, Best Music, and Best Action TrailerByte. Golden Trailer Awards executive director Evelyn Brady cited the campaign’s “spectacular visuals,” sound design, and “disarming humor” as distinguishing factors. Disney led all distributors with 144 nominations, while IT: Welcome to Derry topped individual nominees with nine bids.
Box Office — Currently in Theatres
| # | Title | Release Date | Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Backrooms | May 29 | $81.5M | $81.5M |
| 2 | Obsession | May 15 | $26.4M | $104.8M |
| 3 | Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu | May 22 | $25.0M | $137.4M |
| 4 | Michael | Apr 17 | $11.7M | $339.9M |
| 5 | The Breadwinner | May 29 | $7.5M | $7.5M |
| 6 | The Devil Wears Prada 2 | May 1 | $5.9M | $209.4M |
| 7 | Pressure | May 29 | $5.8M | $5.8M |
| 8 | The Sheep Detectives | May 8 | $4.6M | $54.5M |
| 9 | Passenger | May 22 | $2.6M | $15.3M |
| 10 | Mortal Kombat II | May 8 | $2.0M | $77.8M |
| 11 | Tuner | May 22 | $1.7M | $1.9M |
| 12 | The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Mar 27 | $1.4M | $427.1M |
| 13 | I Love Boosters | May 22 | $1.3M | $7.3M |
| 14 | Power Ballad | May 29 | $170K | $170K |
| 15 | Hokum | May 1 | $67K | $16.8M |
| 16 | Hoppers | Mar 6 | $41K | $166.0M |
| 17 | Silent Friend | May 8 | $31K | $306K |
| 18 | Shrek 25th Anniversary | May 15 | $30K | $1.8M |
| 19 | Steal This Story, Please! | Apr 3 | $27K | $581K |
| 20 | Deep Water | May 1 | $16K | $4.3M |
Source: Box Office Mojo · Weekend estimates
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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