As the summer begins to wind down, it’s now undeniable that the 2026 horror movie Backrooms will be seen as one of the top movies of the summer this year. Although the movie was initially released in May, and it stayed in theaters for several weeks, a re-released version of the movie, titled Backrooms: Everything Must Go, was released in July, aligning with when the original cut of the movie first became available on digital. This extended version of the movie that was released in theaters included brand-new footage added in by Backrooms director Kane Parsons himself. Of course, not everyone had the opportunity to make it back to the theater to see the additional footage.
With that in mind, Parsons shocked and delighted many Backrooms fans by confirming back in July that the new footage, spanning around 15 minutes on its own, would be shared on YouTube soon after. That video is still available on YouTube, and with its current staggering 3.3 million views, it’s clear that audiences did indeed want to see what the additional footage had to offer. However, with it now being confirmed that Backrooms will be hitting the HBO Max streaming platform on Sept. 25, fans have one major question about these versions of the movie—and it actually begs a larger question about the movie overall.
With both the original release of Backrooms and the re-release of Backrooms: Everything Must Go having come to theaters quite a bit ago, and the digital version of the original cut having also been available for several weeks now, it’s not really a surprise that HBO Max will soon be getting the movie, making it free to stream with a subscription. What does remain a mystery for now, however, is what version of the movie will become available on the streamer. Just given the movie’s history so far, it seems most likely that HBO Max will only be offering the original cut of the movie. In fact, the very existence of the YouTube video comprising just the additional footage suggests that these are now going to remain separate entities, outside of the extended release that briefly hit theaters and reportedly as a bonus feature on certain physical releases.
On the one hand, that approach feels like it honors the history of the movie, as the very origins of this project had their start on the internet. In that sense, it’s arguably a satisfying continuation and reflection of Parsons’ dedication to the story he has created to have the added footage remain separate and, even more specifically, on YouTube. Yet, on the other hand, it’s disappointing to think that audiences who didn’t get a chance to see the extended cut in theaters may never see the entire project as one cohesive whole on streaming platforms. Yes, both the additional footage and the original film will be accessible—and, perhaps even better, they will both be accessible at home—but it does seem like the extended cut should begin to be released as well, hopefully starting with the upcoming HBO Max release.