The upcoming sci-fi horror film Backrooms has sparked conversation among Indonesian audiences after its trailer featured an unexpected piece of the country’s history.
Set for release in Indonesia on 10 June 2026, the A24-produced film caught viewers’ attention when an Indonesian-language greeting was heard echoing through the eerie, maze-like corridors that define the Backrooms universe.
In one scene, a voice calmly says,
“Selamat malam, hadirin sekalian. Selamat berpisah dan sampai bertemu lagi di lain waktu.”
or “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Farewell, and see you again another time.”
Many viewers initially assumed the recording had been created specifically for the film. However, fans soon discovered that the audio actually originated from NASA’s famous Golden Record archive.
The Golden Record was launched into space aboard the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1977. Designed as a time capsule of humanity, the gold-plated disc contains sounds, music, photographs and greetings from different cultures around the world.
The project was intended to represent life on Earth in the event that the spacecraft were ever encountered by another civilisation.
The Indonesian greeting featured on the record was written by Ilyas Harun and included alongside dozens of messages spoken in various languages. It has travelled through space for nearly five decades, making its appearance in the Backrooms trailer an unexpected discovery for many Indonesian viewers.
Indonesia’s contribution to the Golden Record extended beyond spoken greetings. The collection also included the Javanese composition “Ketawang Puspawarna”, written by Mangkunegara IV, as part of its selection of world music.
The revelation prompted widespread discussion online, with many people expressing surprise that a piece of Indonesian culture preserved in a NASA archive had found its way into one of the year’s most talked-about horror films.
Adding to local interest, the film also stars Indonesian actress Lukita Maxwell, whose involvement has drawn additional attention from audiences across the country.
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Backrooms Records Strong Box Office Debut
Beyond the trailer’s viral moment, Backrooms has also made an impressive start at the North American box office.
The film, directed by Kane Parsons, began as a social media phenomenon before being adapted into a feature-length production. During its opening weekend, it earned US$81.4 million domestically, equivalent to approximately Rp1.45 trillion.
The achievement is particularly notable given the film’s reported production budget of around US$10 million. Written by Will Soodik and produced by A24, the project has quickly become one of the studio’s biggest commercial successes.
According to industry reports, Backrooms has now secured the largest opening weekend in A24’s history, surpassing the performance of The Civil War. It has also been recognised as the biggest debut for an original horror film.
The film’s success marks another milestone for Parsons, who became one of the youngest directors to achieve a number-one box office debut.
With its unusual blend of internet culture, psychological horror and a surprising connection to Indonesia’s place in space exploration history, Backrooms has managed to generate curiosity both on and off the screen ahead of its Indonesian release.
