5 Reasons Why Smile 2 Killed It At The Box Office

In a much-needed win for theaters, "Smile 2" opened right in line with expectations at the box office this past weekend. Director Parker Finn's sequel to 2022's surprise original hit "Smile" picked up right where that movie left off. Audiences were ready for more and they turned out to see the next chapter in this budding horror franchise.

Paramount's sequel opened with an estimated $23 million domestically to go with another $23 million overseas for a $46 million global start. "Smile 2" had been looking at a debut in the $25 million range so this was pretty much on the money. It's also almost exactly as much as the previous film made when it debuted in October 2022 to $22.6 million, before finishing with $106 million domestically and $111 million overseas for a grand total of $217 million. The good news here is that the sequel opened better than the original internationally, with the first film only doing $14.5 million outside of North America in its initial rollout a couple of years ago. In short, things are looking good in the early going.

So, what went right here? How did Paramount and Finn manage to keep the "Smile" train consistent? What worked in this movie's favor? We're going to look at five of the biggest reasons that "Smile 2" had a killer opening weekend at the box office. Let's dive in.

It's somewhat obvious to say but moviegoers tend to seek out horror around Halloween. Even more casual observers of the genre will often make an exception to see a horror film this time of year. That being the case, "Smile 2" was well positioned as the most audience-friendly horror film of the Halloween season this year. Because of the way things shook out, this became the default option for audiences in many ways.

The monster hit that is "Terrifier 3" certainly needs to be acknowledged, particularly after the film's unexpected trip to the top of the charts on its opening weekend. That said, we're still talking about an ultra-gory, unrated slasher film in that instance. That's not going to be for everyone. There's also Mubi's "The Substance," which has done really well for itself, holding strong week to week. Still, that movie's audience is somewhat limited when we're talking about mass appeal. So, even though there are some options out there, "Smile 2" is really the de facto horror choice for the average ticket buyer this year.

A lot of the sequel's success goes back to the success of the original. "Smile" was a movie that was originally supposed to go directly to streaming on Paramount+. Thanks to successful test screenings, the studio wisely decided to give it a theatrical release instead. The result? "Smile" became one of the biggest original Hollywood hits of the pandemic era and made Parker Finn into an instant name in the genre. This wasn't some studio fabricated "look at us" success story; this movie only succeeded because audiences responded very well to it.

Rather than languish on streaming, the original film's box office success turned it into a much larger deal in the grand scheme of things. Over the last couple of years, even more people caught up with it on streaming. That ensured there would be a sizable audience for the sequel, so long as it was good. Fortunately, Finn delivered the goods with this one.

Speaking to the quality of the film, "Smile 2" has been met with a generally very favorable response from both critics and audiences alike. The sequel currently holds an 84% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes to go with an 83% audience score, both of which are higher than the original film. Similarly, the sequel earned a B CinemaScore, which is an upgrade from the B- that the original got two years ago. By just about every tool we have to measure audience enjoyment, the sequel is outdoing the original in terms of sheer quality assessment. That bodes well for its chances beyond opening weekend.

/Film's Chris Evangelista was kind to "Smile 2" in his 7 out of 10 review, saying that Finn "knows exactly how to build delightfully scary tension." It may have been a bit risky to largely center the sequel on a cast of new characters with an entirely new setting, but that also opens the door for even more in the future. Audiences just wanted another good movie and, by all appearances, that's exactly what Finn and Paramount gave them. Sometimes it can be that simple.

One of the things we've seen in recent years is that sequels can take a long time to happen. Marvel scored a hit with "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" in 2021 and we're still waiting on a release date for the sequel, which has yet to start production. That's just one example but there are many. Three or four years between installments has become more acceptable — or, at the very least, something that the industry allows it to happen, for better or worse. In this case, Paramount got the follow-up to "Smile" going in a hurry, allowing for a reasonable two-year gap between installments.

Paramount signed Finn to a first-look deal in early 2023 and made "Smile 2" the top priority. That was a very wise decision. Now the studio has a franchise on its hands and Finn can turn his attention elsewhere, if he so chooses. Not making audiences wait three or four years allowed the memory of the first film to stay fresh. It allowed the excitement and interest to hang in the air. It wasn't so long that audiences had to go, "What was that again?" or, "Oh, I totally forgot about that" — which would have made marketing a lot more difficult.

Even though we're talking about a sequel, "Smile 2" is still benefiting in many ways from the fact that audiences — particularly those who seek out horror — are hungry for originality. It's a big part of what allowed "Five Nights at Freddy's" to thrive last year, as it was a new franchise aimed at younger viewers, rather than recycled ideas from the past. That movie was based on a pre-existing thing, but it was new cinematically. 

Even though "Smile 2" is the start of a franchise, it's the start of a new franchise that only exists because the first movie resonated with moviegoers. Beyond that, it's a different story with different characters in a new setting, which makes it feel fresh, rather than doing the same thing all over again. It's kind of the best of both worlds.

We've seen time and time again that, when executed well, horror is the most reliable genre of the pandemic era. From big breakout hits like "M3GAN" to indies like "In a Violent Nature," people will seek these things out. It's one of the few genres where original ideas can thrive, and that's part of the appeal. That certainly seemed to be a factor here. Whether or not "Smile 3" happens remains to be seen, but that's certainly something for all involved to consider in the development process.

"Smile 2" is in theaters now.