If you’ve been to the theater or in certain corners of social media lately, you may have seen a plethora of discourse from young adult viewers about the newly released film “Backrooms,” starring Chiwetel Ejiofor. But if you were still on the fence about whether or not the film is worth seeing, believe us when we tell you that it is – just based on the strength of Ejiofor’s performance alone!
As you well know, the Black British actor has had a pretty prolific career in Hollywood, thanks to blockbuster Marvel films like the “Doctor Strange” franchise, “American Gangster,” “Venom: The Last Dance,” and “12 Years A Slave,” which earned him an Oscar nomination for his lead role. Even in the short-lived sci-fi show “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” his earnest way of bringing characters to life in a way that feels both fresh and rooted in reality is a constant and impressive through line in all his projects.
While folks may be used to a certain gravitas from the actor, in “Backrooms,” he’s giving his fans something completely new. For starters, he’s delightfully unhinged in a way we haven’t seen him before. But it’s his portrayal of a struggling furniture store owner plagued by alcoholism who is suddenly immersed in an off-kilter reality in the backrooms of his store that has younger audiences speaking his praises and showing up to the box office in droves.
As noted by Deadline on Monday, the film brought in a whopping $118 million over its opening weekend, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. According to the New York Times, 86 percent of the film’s audience is under the age of 35, and nearly 44 percent was under 21, as counted by PostTrak. Seeing a Black man take over the box office in this way is a much-welcomed breath of fresh air, if we’re keeping it a buck.
If you look at what folks are saying online, it’s clear that Ejiofor’s performance is the factor that keeps pulling fans in (and largely convinced director Kane Parsons to start thinking about a sequel).
“Chiwetel Ejiofor is like kinda incredible in Backrooms? Like he’s always great obviously but he’s really making a meal here,” wrote one user on X/Twitter.
“Not enough talk about how great Chiwetel Ejiofor was in backrooms. i know the movie came out like two days ago but the way he acts in That One Scene is so upsetting and scary,” said another.
One other user also praised Ejiofor’s performance, arguing that it wouldn’t be unreasonable to hope for an upcoming Oscar nomination for his role in the film.
“Chiwetel’s narrative arc was so unexpected and there is a monologue that he will deliver in a scene…that is transcendent. And I really hope that we continue to see people in horror films delivering transcendent performances get recognized for doing that,” the user said.
Well, here’s hoping that that’s the case! “Backrooms” is in theaters now.
