Smile 2has passed a major global box office milestone. TheSmile 2releasecomes two years after the original movie, which became the highest-grossing horror release of 2022. It follows a new victim of the franchise’s sinister smiling entity, the pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), who is recovering from substance abuse as well as an accident that took the life of her boyfriend one year prior. Helmed by returning writer-director Parker Finn, the movie also stars Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Ray Nicholson, Dylan Gelula, Raúl Castillo, and Kyle Gallner.
PerVariety, as of Sunday morning, is projected to close out its third weekend at the box office with a cumulative domestic total of $52.6 million and a worldwide total of $109 million. This crosses two milestones simultaneously,passing the $50 million mark in North America and $100 million globally. It has become the 31st movie to pass the $100 million global milestone in 2024 and the fourth horror movie to do so, behindLonglegs,A Quiet Place: Day One, andAlien: Romulus.
What This Means For Smile 2
It Is Still Trailing Behind 2022’s Smile
AlthoughSmile 2reviewsearned the movie a Certified Fresh 85% Rotten Tomatoes score, which is even better than the original movie’s 79%,it is now trailing behind the 2022 title. The original movie earned $105 million at the domestic box office alone, grossing a total of $217 million worldwide. It had already reached the $50 million domestic milestone by its second weekend, so the sequel has fallen significantly short of its pace.
WhileSmile 2debuted about half a million ahead of the original movie, its 58.6% week 2 drop was considerably harsher than the original’s 18% drop.
However, the2024 horror moviecan already be considered a success. Movies typically need to earn back two-and-a-half times their budgets in order to turn a profit in theaters, and as Smile 2 cost $28 million, this means thatits break-even point was most likely somewhere around $70 million. As it has surpassed this point by more than $30 million in just three weekends, it is likely already in the realm of profitability and will only continue to grow in the coming weeks.
Our Take On The Smile 2 Box Office Milestone
The Franchise’s Future Seems Secure
WhileSmile 2is still behind compared to the original movie, the fact that it has passed this major milestone in just three weeks cements it as a solid theatrical hit. Thiscould very well mean that a third installment in the franchise will be greenlitbefore long. If that movie is given a slightly slimmer budget at the level of the original movie’s $17 million, it could potentially avoid any diminishing returns and continue the franchise’s theatrical success afresh, even if subsequent movies are never smash hits at the level of the first installment.
Smile 2
Cast
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.
