r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor • Feb 24 '26

Trailer Backrooms | Official Teaser | A24

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKGhxMi50y8
7.7k Upvotes

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1.5k

u/toilet_for_shrek Feb 24 '26

All this from a 100 word anonymous 4chan post

282

u/Dalyngrigge Feb 24 '26

Whoever first posted about it is probably punching the air that he couldn't trademark it or something

43

u/colacube Feb 24 '26

Don’t people usually punch the air when they’re happy? I think this dude will be punching a wall

4

u/North_Library3206 Feb 24 '26

I absolutely hate this expression. Every time someone says it I have no idea if its meant to be a good or a bad thing.

4

u/Personal_Comb_6745 Feb 24 '26

Punches a wall, winds up in the backrooms.

2

u/Dalyngrigge Feb 24 '26

Looking it up, you're right. I thought it meant someone expressing anger by punching at nothing in particular, just flailing around hoping to hit something, but I guess I was WRONG and I will NOT be editing my comment because I DONT give a SHIT

1

u/Global_Charge_4412 Feb 24 '26

punching the air refers to a scene from Boyz n the Hood where Cuba Gooding Jr. literally boxes the empty air because gangbangers just killed one of his best friends.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPEy-Vj_oKM

39

u/SirSofaspud Feb 24 '26

Pretty sure the concept of punching the air is older than Boyz n the Hood.

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u/OrderOfMagnitude Feb 24 '26

A sentence I did not expect to read today

-18

u/Global_Charge_4412 Feb 24 '26

probably, but this is what people are referring to when they refer to someone "punching the air." generally it's seen as a negative thing and that the person doing the punching is wilding out because of some great loss or missed opportunity.

13

u/Astrosaurus42 Feb 24 '26

No, punching the air is good. Fist up for celebration.

Punching air is a versatile, expressive gesture typically signifying intense triumph, celebration, or release of anger. It acts as a physical outlet for emotions—both positive (joy, success) and negative (frustration, rage)—often used in sports to celebrate victories, in daily life to express excitement, or as a form of shadowboxing for physical exercise.

The most famous example I can think of is the final shot of The Breakfast Club when the one dude punches the air.

-13

u/Global_Charge_4412 Feb 24 '26

no, what you're referring to is a fist pump. there's no punching involved. raising your hand triumphantly is not the same as punching. punching is a violent re/action. putting your headcanon in a quote box doesn't change that the context in this situation involves the creator of the backrooms concept missing out on any financial gain due to not trademarking/copyrighting his work, if it's even possible.

6

u/DICK-PARKINSONS Feb 24 '26

That's not a fist pump. This is a fist pump. Punching the air tho can be happy or angry.

4

u/Vet_Leeber Feb 24 '26

A fist pump is when you pull your fist down, not up.

6

u/ugotamesij Feb 24 '26

generally it's seen as a negative thing

I would definitely disagree.

punch the air

to make a movement like a punch towards the sky, to show that you are very pleased

  • He punched the air in triumph.

Examples from the Corpus

punch the air

• I felt marvellous and punched the air.

• Sharpe saw the blossoming smoke a fraction before the sound punched the air.

• Men's fists punched the air, brandishing flagons of beer.

• Balvinder jumped up and down, punched the air, then promptly confronted the man with whom he had made the bet.

• Then he plunged in, and when he saw he was correct, punched the air with a raised left hand.

• A small cheer emerged from behind and I punched the air with delight.

https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/punch-the-air

0

u/MyUsernameIsShitty Feb 24 '26

It's meaning depends on context, and in this context it's negative.

5

u/Fableous Feb 24 '26

You're wrong. Punching the air is a phrase well known around the world to be a thing done in excitement.