“Backrooms” has soared to the top of the Australian box office this week.
A24’s new horror film debuted with $5.52 million across 313 screens for the weekend of 28–31 May. The Kane Parsons-directed movie posted the strongest per-screen average in the top ten at $17,637 — a commanding debut for the distributor in the local market.
“It’s a film of suggestion and down-the-rabbit-hole darkness, like a haunted-house thriller made over into a shivery poem of the uncanny,” Variety said in its review.
“It may alienate anyone expecting a conventional fear ride. Parsons, for all he shows you, leaves you with the sensation that the real horror may be just out of reach — which, in its way, is what makes the liminal-space aesthetic a form of cool. But there’s no denying that Kane Parsons is now the master of it.”
“Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” slipped down to No. 2 in its second weekend, grossing $3.15 million. Its two-week cumulative stands at $10.78 million. Rialto Distribution hit film “Obsession” was the chart’s standout mover again this week, surging 87 per cent to $3.03 million in its third weekend after expanding from 164 to 245 screens. The film has now grossed $7.08 million in total.
Meanwhile, “Michael” continues its run in fourth place, adding $2.57 million in its sixth weekend to bring its cumulative total to $40.5 million.
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” is close behind at $38.71 million total after five weekends, taking $1.71 million this week.
Among new entries, “Chardikala” opened at 11th with $133,033 from 43 screens, while “H is for Hawk” debuted at 13th with $112,677 from 157 screens — a per-screen average of $718 pointing to strong specialty audience engagement. “Power Ballad” entered at 12th with $119,224.
The total market for the weekend reached $18.82 million across 175 titles, up five per cent on the previous week.