A new wave of horror filmmakers is taking over the genre, and names like Curry Barker and Kane Parsons are leading the charge. Fresh off the explosive success of Barker’s Obsession nearing the $100 million mark at the box office, Parsons is now making serious noise with his feature debut Backrooms — and the film is already shaping up to be a monster hit for A24.

After opening in theaters last night for Thursday previews, Backrooms pulled in a staggering $9 million in a single evening, according to Deadline.

The outlet notes that the preview numbers are outperforming major genre heavyweights including Scream 7 ($7.8 million) and John Wick: Chapter 4 ($8.9 million), while landing close to blockbuster launches like Eternals ($9.5 million) and Five Nights at Freddy’s ($10.3 million). Industry projections are now rapidly climbing, with many expecting the R-rated horror film to completely shatter its original $40-$45 million opening weekend forecast.

Made on a reported $10 million budget, Backrooms is already positioned to become a huge financial win for both Parsons and A24 before the weekend is even over. Early projections once estimated the film would debut somewhere around $20 million, but the insane preview turnout has dramatically changed expectations.

At this point, Backrooms could be headed for one of the biggest horror openings of the year.

The film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as the owner of Cap’n Clark’s Ottoman Empire, a furniture showroom hiding a bizarre doorway that leads into an endless labyrinth of terrifying liminal spaces. As he ventures deeper into the strange dimension, he finds himself trapped inside a living creepypasta nightmare.

Renate Reinsve (A Different Man) also stars.

Kane Parsons — the YouTube creator whose Backrooms videos exploded online beginning in 2022 — makes his feature directorial debut with the film adaptation. His original analog horror series has amassed more than 190 million views and helped redefine internet horror for an entirely new generation.

And this may only be the beginning.