Smile 2 has outdone the original movie with its worldwide opening weekend. The Smile 2 release comes almost exactly two years after the original 2022 movie became the No. 1 horror release of the year worldwide, grossing $217.4 million against its slim $17 million budget. For the sequel, writer-director Parker Finn has returned to helm a story about pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) becoming cursed by the franchise’s sinister smiling entity. The cast also includes Rosemarie DeWitt, Kyle Gallner, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Raúl Castillo, Dylan Gelula, and Ray Nicholson.
Per Variety, as of Sunday morning, the global opening weekend of Smile 2 is projected to hit a 3-day total of $46 million. This comes from an even split of $23 million at the domestic box office and $23 million in international markets. This is about even with the original 2022 hit, though it has pulled ahead in every market, as the original grossed $22.6 million in North America and $36.5 million worldwide.
What This Means For Smile 2
Its Increased Budget Changes The Math Somewhat
This sequel about the return of the Smile curse is on track to become a hit just like the original. If it maintains its current lead, it is entirely within the realm of possibility that the 2024 horror movie could leg out to a worldwide gross of $274 million or more. This would see it outgross A Quiet Place: Day One ($261.8 million) to become the second highest-grossing horror movie of the year behind Alien: Romulus ($350.4 million).
Both of those 2024 horror hits are part of even larger franchises than Smile, with Day One being the third Quiet Place movie and Romulus being the ninth Alien movie.
Because a movie typically needs to earn two and a half times its budget in order to turn a profit, this likely places the break-even point for Smile 2 at about $70 million or more. It should be able to clear that total with ease, though it may not become a hit at the level of the original in terms of return on investment. The movie cost $28 million, which is an $11 million increase from the price tag of the original 2022 movie. In order to have the same level of success, it would have to earn $358 million.
Our Take On The Smile 2 Debut
The Movie’s Reception Could Boost Its Prospects
Ultimately, it remains to be seen how high the new movie can climb by the end of its run. It could receive a strong word-of-mouth boost, as Smile 2 reviews have earned it matching 83% Rotten Tomatoes scores from both critics and audiences, surpassing the original movie’s 80% and 77% scores. Should that be the case and should it avoid the horror genre’s typically harsh week 2 drop (the original dropped a miraculously low 18%), it could continue to climb at an unprecedented level.
Source: Variety
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.
- Director
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Parker Finn
- Release Date
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October 18, 2024
- Distributor(s)
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Paramount Pictures
