The hit horror film Backrooms will premiere on HBO Max in Spain on September 25 following a record-breaking theatrical run that drew more than one million cinema viewers across the country.
The feature release expands the catalog of the Warner Bros. Discovery subscription streaming platform after establishing itself as one of the year's biggest box office surprises.
Backrooms opened in theaters across the United States and Canada with a first-weekend box office gross exceeding $81 million. That opening set a new record as the largest theatrical debut in the history of production company A24.
The film subsequently surpassed $380 million in worldwide box office revenue. The financial success was achieved on a production budget of approximately $10 million.
Cast and Plot Premise
The main cast is led by Chiwetel Ejiofor, who earned an Academy Award nomination for 12 Years a Slave, and Renate Reinsve, who won the best actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for The Worst Person in the World.
The ensemble cast also features Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, and Lukita Maxwell in supporting roles.
The story begins with a simple and unsettling premise when a strange door appears in the basement wall of a furniture store.
That discovery pulls characters into a dimension operating outside the rules of normal reality. The environment consists of endless, seemingly identical rooms that turn a mundane setting into a nightmare.
From YouTube Legend to Feature Debut
Director Kane Parsons, known online as Kane Pixels, created the film as his feature directorial debut after developing the universe as a teenager on YouTube.
Parsons began publishing short videos in 2022 inspired by the online urban legend of vast, labyrinthine spaces hidden beyond ordinary life. His uploaded found footage projects accumulated millions of views before attracting studio backing.
The concept originally began with a single photograph depicting an empty office space with plain yellow walls and moisture-trapping carpet. Parsons adapted that visual element into a found footage horror format that relies on eerie atmosphere and liminal environments.
Liminal Spaces and Found Footage
The cinematic term found footage refers to a storytelling method where video material is presented as real recordings discovered after an event. The style relies on handheld camera perspectives and realistic lighting to heighten tension.
Liminal spaces describe architectural or environmental transitional areas, such as hallway corridors, stairwells, and vacant office floors. When these everyday structures are stripped of human activity, they often create feelings of psychological disorientation and nostalgia.
Production Studio and Lead Talent
Independent studio A24 produced and distributed the film. Based in the United States, A24 has built a reputation for financing auteur-driven projects and original horror titles.
Ejiofor is an established British actor who gained international acclaim for his lead role in the 2013 historical drama 12 Years a Slave. Reinsve is a Norwegian actress who received critical praise for her breakthrough role in the 2021 romantic comedy-drama The Worst Person in the World.
Duplass is an American actor and filmmaker known for his work in independent film and television. Bennett and Maxwell join the cast following recent appearances in high-profile television series and feature films.
Streaming Availability and Format
HBO Max operates as a global streaming destination offering feature films, original television series, and archival studio content. The addition of Backrooms to its Spanish catalog on September 25 allows subscribers to stream the film following its theatrical window.
The adaptation retains the distinctive visual aesthetic and unsettling atmosphere that established the original YouTube series as an online phenomenon.
