A couple of years ago, Paramount struck gold after making the wise decision to cancel Smile’s direct-to-streaming release, and choosing, instead, to put their backs into promoting it as a theatrical offering. The viral marketing campaign deployed by the studio worked wonders, and Smile emerged as a bona fide hit. Not only did it exceed expectations in its opening weekend, it registered remarkably soft drops in the subsequent days, eventually legging it past the $100 million mark domestically. The film’s sequel, Smile 2, had an equally solid debut recently, but appears to be fizzling out already. Nevertheless, both movies have now pushed the unlikely franchise past a massive global box office milestone.
Smile concluded its global run with $217 million in 2022, while Smile 2has so far made $83 million worldwide. This pushes the franchise’s combined global earnings past the $300 million mark. Smile 2 won’t likely match its predecessor, but at this stage, it would be happy to hit the $50 million mark domestically and the $100 million milestone worldwide. It currently stands at $40 million stateside, after having fallen by a hefty 59% in its sophomore frame. By comparison, the first Smile fell by only 18%, which is incredible not only for the horror genre, but for any wide release.
Both films have been directed by Parker Finn, although they feature different casts. Somewhat surprisingly, however, both Smile and Smile 2 have been acclaimed by critics and audiences alike. This is incredibly rare in the horror space. Smile 2 has an 84% approval rating on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, aligned to its 81% audience score. By comparison, the first Smile has an 80% RT score and a 77% audience rating. In his review, Collider’s Jeff Ewing described it as “one of the year’s best horror films,” and wrote that it is “an exceptional sequel that improves almost every aspect of the original.”
In a Deviation from the Norm, the 'Smile' Films Have Been Critically and Commercially Acclaimed
Featuring Naomi Scott as a recovering addict pop-star, the movie revisits the first film's central theme of personal trauma. It also features Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Raúl Castillo, Dylan Gelula, and Ray Nicholson, as well as a returning Kyle Gallner. You can watch Smile 2 in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Release Date October 18, 2024
Director Parker Finn
English (US) ·