Smile 2’s theatrical run was a successful one, and though the sequel couldn’t match the box office numbers of the first movie, it’s still a massive success. 2024 was a big year for the horror genre, and one of the most anticipated horror movies wasSmile 2, the sequel to one of 2022’s biggest and most surprising hits. Directed once again by Parker Finn,Smile 2takes place six days afterthe ending ofSmile, and begins with Joel (Kyle Gallner) passing the Smile curse onto another person, who later passes it on to pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott).
Skye is recovering from substance-use disorder and a car accident in which her boyfriend died. In addition to that, to revive her career, she’s also preparing for a new world tour, but to make it all more complicated, she becomes the new host ofthe Smile Entity. As a result, she starts having vivid hallucinations caused by the entity, with a shocking twist in the third act and a tragic ending.Smile 2was a critical success as well as a commercial one, even if it didn’t match the numbers of the first movie.
Smile 2’s Final Box Office Total Is Going To Be Well Below The Original’s
Smile 2’s Box Office Couldn’t Replicate That Of The First Movie
The horror genre has been going through a great run in recent years, in big part thanks to trends like prequels and sequels, including legacy ones. In recent years, the horror genre has also seen some massive surprise hits, and one of 2022’s biggest horror successes wasSmile. Based on Finn’s 2020 short filmLaura Hasn’t Slept,Smilefollows therapist Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon), who witnesses the bizarre but creepy suicide of one of her patients. As a result, she becomes the new host of the Smile Entity, which feeds off her deepest fears and traumas and haunts her through vivid hallucinations.
Smile 2’s Rose Cameo Makes The Original Movie’s Ending Even Darker
Smile 2 sneakily includes a Rose Cotter cameo that makes the original movie’s ending even darker thanks to the fate of Sosie Bacon’s character.
Smilegot positive reviews from critics and currently has a 79% critics score onRotten Tomatoes, giving it a “fresh” certificate.Smilewas also a big box office hit, grossing $217.4 millionagainst a budget of $17 million, which, along with its positive reviews, were key to its sequel being greenlit. Now,Smile 2is nearing the end of its theatrical run as it’s now available to stream on Paramount+, and at the time of writing,it has grossed $137.7 million, $80 million less than the first movie. While it’s a significant difference, this doesn’t meanSmile 2was a box office failure.
Smile 2’s Smart Budgeting Still Makes The Movie A Success At The Box Office
Smile 2 Is One Of Horror’s Biggest Successes In 2024
Smilehad a budget of $17 million, which is somewhat small considering all the visual effects it used to bring the Smile Entity and its curse to life.Smile’s budget made its box office numbers even more impressive, and the same happened withSmile 2. The sequel went bigger in terms of visual effects and narrative, with Skye being a pop star and thus reaching thousands of people, as opposed to Rose.Smile 2also had a small budget but higher than the first movie’s, with a reported total of $28 million.
Smile 2is a box office success and a profitable movie, and on top of that, it was a critical success.
Smile 2needed around $56-70 million to break even, and it ended up making nearly five times its budget.Smile 2is a box office success and a profitable movie, and on top of that, it was a critical success – and in that regard, it was a bigger hit than the first movie.Smile 2currently has an 86% critics score onRotten Tomatoes, soSmile 2was a hit with both critics and general audiences.
What Smile 2’s Box Office Means For The Franchise’s Future
Smile 2 Makes Way For A Third Movie
Smile 2’s endingsets up a bigger, wilder, and more chaotic third movie thanks to what happens to Skye Riley and the Smile Entity. In September 2024, Finn confirmed he plans to expand the world ofSmilewith a third movie (viaGames Radar), but at the time of writing, a thirdSmilemovie hasn’t been confirmed. However,after the success ofSmileandSmile 2, it’s highly unlikely a third movie won’t happen. In most cases, studios take into account box office performance rather than critical reception to greenlit sequels, and the world ofSmileis already winning at both.
7 Ways Smile 2 Sets Up Smile 3
Smile 2 brings audiences back to the terrifying world of the Entity through pop star Skye Riley, yet it also plants the seeds for another sequel.
With its theatrical run nearly over, it’s unlikelySmile 2’s box office numbers will go higher (at least not significantly), but its $137.7 million should be more than enough to grant it a sequel. The ending ofSmile 2will also have the audience wanting to know what happens next with the new hosts of the Smile Entity and how this is going to work out, as it’s completely different from what the previous movies did.Smile 2had a lower box office than the first movie but it’s still a big success, which should guarantee the future of this world.
Source:Games Radar.
Smile 2
Smile 2 is the sequel to the 2022 psychological horror film by director Parker Finn that centers on a therapist who witnesses a patient’s suicide, leading to a series of terrifying supernatural events. The sequel will see the return of Finn as director, with Paramount continuing distribution.
