Move over Grogu. Internet culture soars as ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Obsession’ top the box office

Renate Reinsve portrays a therapist who goes through an otherworldly portal in search of her patient in “Backrooms.”

Move over Grogu. Internet culture soars as ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Obsession’ top the box office. Internet culture is showing up in a big way in theaters, as low-budget horror films “Backrooms” and “Obsession” led this weekend’s box office and beat out big franchise films like “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.” A24’s “Backrooms” topped the charts with $81.5 million in the U.S. and Canada in its opening weekend, according to studio estimates. The film is directed by 20-year-old YouTuber Kane Parsons, who based it on his internet series of the same name. “Backrooms,” which reportedly had a production budget of about $10 million, stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as a furniture store owner who finds a mysterious portal in his basement. The film made a total of $118 million worldwide. In second place was Focus Features’ “Obsession,” which hauled in $26.4...