Backrooms Director Kane Parsons Would Erase Generative AI

Backrooms crossed $100 million at the domestic box office in six days, the largest domestic total in A24's history. The director behind it, Kane Parsons, called generative AI "genuinely harmful" the same week, saying he would erase it entirely if he could.

A24's First $100 Million Film

The horror film opened to $81 million domestic and $118 million worldwide, more than tripling the studio's previous domestic opening record of $25.5 million, set by Civil War. A24 and Chernin Entertainment produced the film for approximately $10 million.

At 20, Parsons became the youngest director to hold A24's domestic box office record. The $100 million threshold, crossed in six days, was the first time the studio reached that milestone domestically.

"Genuinely Harmful"

In an interview published June 3, 2026, Parsons told Deadline: "If I could snap my fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, I probably would".

He elaborated with Variety: "Creatively, I get no enjoyment from using those tools. It defeats the purpose entirely for me".

Parsons went further on the cultural dimension. "To me, generative AI feels less like innovation than a symptom of a broader cultural and economic rot", he said.

He acknowledged that AI might reduce tedium in certain VFX workflows. But he said the cultural stakes around the technology make impartial discussion difficult, and that he wants to examine what AI represents artistically rather than use it as a production tool.

From Blender to A24

Parsons taught himself Blender software as a student and built the original Backrooms web series from those skills. A24 and Chernin Entertainment developed the series into a feature with a budget of approximately $10 million.

The film was made without generative AI tools. Its performance at the box office, $100 million domestic on a $10 million budget, stands as the strongest debut in A24's history.

The Same Week in Hollywood

The same week Parsons' statements appeared, Martin Scorsese announced a partnership with image generation company Black Forest Labs as an AI adviser. Earlier in 2026, director Boots Riley had pushed back on the Scorsese endorsement directly. The full Scorsese and Black Forest Labs story remains one of the most discussed director AI endorsements of the year.

Parsons is in early development on a Backrooms sequel with A24. He is searching for a writing collaborator and said in June 2026 there is "no meaningful movement" on that yet.

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Sources

Deadline | Variety