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Smile 2

Smile 2 is a 2024 American psychological supernatural horror film written and directed by Parker Finn. A sequel to Smile (2022), the film stars Naomi Scott as a pop star who begins to experience a series of increasingly disturbing events just as she is about to embark on tour. It also features Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Ray Nicholson, Dylan Gelula, and Raúl Castillo, as well as Kyle Gallner reprising his role from the first film.

Smile 2
Theatrical release poster
Directed byParker Finn
Written byParker Finn
Produced by
  • Marty Bowen
  • Wyck Godfrey
  • Isaac Klausner
  • Parker Finn
  • Robert Salerno
Starring
CinematographyCharlie Sarroff
Edited byElliot Greenberg
Music byCristobal Tapia de Veer
Production
companies
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • October 18, 2024 (2024-10-18)
Running time
127 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$28 million
Box office$136.2 million[2][3]

In March 2023, following the commercial success of Smile, Finn signed a first-look deal with Paramount Pictures to develop additional horror projects. In the following April 2023, a sequel to Smile had entered pre-production, with Finn returning as writer and director. Principal photography took place in early 2024 in New York.

Smile 2 was released theatrically in the United States on October 18, 2024. Like its predecessor, the film received positive reviews from critics, and grossed over $136 million worldwide.

Plot

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Six days after Rose Cotter's death,[a] the now-cursed police officer Joel attempts to pass the Smile Entity on by killing one murderous criminal in front of another. During a shootout, he accidentally kills the second. Uninvolved drug dealer Lewis Fregoli witnesses this and inherits the curse. Joel, now free from the curse, attempts to flee but is run over and killed by a truck.

Meanwhile, pop star Skye Riley appears on The Drew Barrymore Show as she prepares for her comeback tour following a public struggle with substance abuse and a car crash that killed her actor boyfriend, Paul Hudson, a year earlier. Despite constant supervision from her assistant Joshua and mother and manager Elizabeth, Skye sneaks out to buy Vicodin from Lewis, her former schoolmate, after injuring her back in rehearsals. Lewis appears erratic, screaming and panicking before collapsing in an apparent seizure. He rises, smiling, and fatally smashes his face in with a barbell plate. Afraid of being found in a room full of drugs, Skye flees without alerting anyone.

Skye begins to experience hallucinations, including people smiling at her, causing her mental health to deteriorate rapidly. Needing support, she reconciles with her estranged friend Gemma. Skye receives a text from an unknown number, claiming to know she was at Lewis's apartment and that she is in danger. While speaking at a fundraiser hosted by music executive Darius, Skye hallucinates the teleprompter stalling and goes on an impromptu tirade about how success has not fixed her life. She sees a smiling Paul approaching from the audience and panics, accidentally injuring an elderly guest.

Skye meets Morris, the man who texted her, in a bar. He has been tracking the Entity ever since it killed his brother. He explains that the curse passes to anyone who witnesses a victim's death. Theorizing that the Entity is parasitic and could die without a host, he suggests stopping Skye's heart and then resuscitating her to break the curse, but she refuses and leaves after being recognized by bargoers. Following a lengthy mental breakdown in her apartment, Skye is cornered by the Entity, which takes the form of her backup dancers. Skye tries to flee but is violently thrown around the apartment and pinned down as a giant arm forces its way into her throat, causing her to blackout.

A flashback reveals Skye caused Paul's death by intentionally crashing the car during a drug-induced argument. Later, Skye awakes at a retreat and argues with Elizabeth over the upcoming tour. Suddenly, Elizabeth smiles, smashes a mirror, and fatally stabs herself with a shard. Skye attempts to leave but, to her horror, realizes that it was in fact she who stabbed Elizabeth. Skye escapes the retreat and reunites with Gemma, stealing a car to meet Morris. Skye receives a call from Gemma, and realizes that the Gemma who has been with her all week is the Entity. After regaining control of the car, Skye meets Morris at an abandoned Pizza Hut, where they plan to use the walk-in freezer to prevent brain damage when stopping her heart. Morris temporarily leaves and the Entity appears as Skye's former self from the car wreck. After a struggle, Skye fights it off and injects herself with the syringe meant to stop her heart. The Entity, unchanged, mockingly affirms she is not in control. It then locks Skye into a rib-cage apparatus and tells her to "break a leg".

Skye finds herself on stage for a performance at Herald Square Garden.[b] She sees a still-alive Elizabeth, Joshua and Darius watching from the audience, and realizes that the entirety of the past couple of days have been a hallucination. The Entity appears as Skye's current self before tearing its stomach open to reveal its true form: a large, skinless creature with multiple smiling mouths nestled within one another. Skye screams before falling into a trance, and the Entity rips Skye's mouth apart and crawls inside; to the crowd, it just appears that Skye collapses while choking. A possessed Skye stands up, now smiling as she fatally stabs herself in the eye with her microphone in front of thousands of horrified spectators.

Cast

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Additionally, Drew Barrymore appears as herself, interviewing Skye on her talk show, while director Parker Finn himself cameos as a photographer. The likeness of Sosie Bacon as Rose Cotter appears via a hallucination to Joel.[4]

Production

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Development

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Smile writer and director Parker Finn intentionally left portions of the first film ambiguous, with various plotlines unresolved, to create the opportunity to explore those details in a sequel.[5] He noted that while additional installments may explore the backstory of the entity, he would like to keep its mysterious nature intact, adding that a follow-up film would be notably different from the first as he believed "there is still a lot of interesting stuff to explore in the world of Smile. ... I'd want to make sure that there's a new, exciting, fresh way into it that the audience isn't anticipating."[5][6][7] In March 2023, following the commercial success of Smile, Finn signed a first-look deal with Paramount Pictures to develop additional horror projects.[8] The following month at 2023 CinemaCon, Paramount announced that a sequel to Smile had been green-lit and was in pre-production, with Finn returning as writer and director.[9]

In October 2024, Finn described the film as "an exploration of the downfall of this pop star who's unable to overcome the things that have been put upon her." He added, "What I love about the ending of this film is that I wanted to create this meta-feeling moment, where the audience in the arena is staring through the screen at the audience in the movie theater. I wanted to raise the question: Did we do this to Skye? By us coming back for a Smile 2, have we done this to her? It's all intriguing to me, this idea of 'are we complicit in this?'"[10]

Casting

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In December 2023, Naomi Scott was cast in a leading role,[11] which she stated was inspired by Lady Gaga in the early 2010s as well as Britney Spears.[12] In early 2024, Lukas Gage, Rosemarie DeWitt, Dylan Gelula, Raúl Castillo and Miles Gutierrez-Riley joined the cast.[13][14][15] Kyle Gallner reprised his role as Joel from the first film.[16] In September 2024, it was revealed Drew Barrymore would appear as herself in the film.[17] The casting of Ray Nicholson was an homage to his father Jack Nicholson's role in The Shining (1980).[18] Principal photography took place from January to March 2024 throughout Hudson Valley, New York, with primary locations in Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, Wappingers Falls, Albany, and New York City.[19][20] Returning Smile crew members included cinematographer Charlie Sarroff, editor Elliot Greenberg, and composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer.[21][22] The film's budget was $28 million.[23]

Music

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Smile 2: The Skye Riley EP
 
EP by
Skye Riley
ReleasedOctober 11, 2024
GenrePop
Length17:58
LabelInterscope
ProducerIdarose
Naomi Scott chronology
Promises
(2016) 		Smile 2: The Skye Riley EP
(2024)
Singles from Smile 2: The Skye Riley EP
  1. "Blood on White Satin"
    Released: June 18, 2024
  2. "Grieved You"
    Released: September 13, 2024
  3. "Death of Me"
    Released: October 11, 2024

Smile 2: The Skye Riley EP is a soundtrack extended play (EP) by English actress and singer Naomi Scott, as her character "Skye Riley". It was released through Interscope Records on October 11, 2024.[24]

Background

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On June 8, 2024, the @SkyeRileyNation Instagram account began teasing a new era of a popstar named Skye Riley.[25] On June 13, Bloody Disgusting spotted promotional billboards promoting the artist and her new music.[26] On June 18, a song titled "Blood on White Satin" was released through Interscope Records and was featured in the first trailer of the film.[27] The film was promoted with an audience member at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards.[28] The second single, "Grieved You", was released on September 13.[29]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Grieved You"
Take a Daytrip2:40
2."New Brain"
Idarose3:05
3."Just My Name"
Idarose3:32
4."Blood on White Satin"KesselmanIdarose2:43
5."Death of Me"
  • Scott
  • Kesselman
Idarose2:46
6."Just My Name" (piano version)
  • Scott
  • Kesselman
Idarose3:15
Total length:17:58

Release

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Smile 2 was released in the United States by Paramount Pictures on October 18, 2024.[30] The film was released on premium video on demand (PVOD) on November 19, 2024, and is set to be released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, in a 4K Ultra HD SteelBook, Blu-ray, and DVD on January 21, 2025.[31][32]

Reception

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Box office

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As of November 26, 2024, Smile 2 has grossed $68.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $68.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $136.2 million.[2][3]

In the United States and Canada, Smile 2 was projected to gross $17–25 million from 3,619 theaters in its opening weekend.[33][34] The film made $9.5 million on its first day,[35] including an estimated $2.5 million in previews.[36][23] The film went on to debut to $23 million, topping the original's $22.6 million debut and finishing first at the box office.[37] The film made $9.5 million in its second weekend, finishing second behind newcomer Venom: The Last Dance.[38]

Critical response

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Naomi Scott in 2016 
Naomi Scott's performance as Skye Riley received critical acclaim from critics and audience alike.

The film received positive reviews from critics, with many deemed it was an improvement over the first film, and highly praised Naomi Scott's performance.[39] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of 194 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Blessed with a nerve-jangling star turn by Naomi Scott, writer-director Parker Finn broadens Smile's conceit into a pop stardom nightmare that'll leave a rictus grin on horror fans' faces."[40] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 66 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[41] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale (up from the first film's "B-"), while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it a 71% overall positive score (including an average of 3 1/2 out of 5 stars).[23]

Writing for Polygon, Austen Goslin gave a positive review for the film, deeming it superior to the first, while stating: "Rather than simply rehashing the original, Parker Finn pushes his clever premise to its logical extreme and builds some incredibly scary scenes to match. In fact, Finn ends Smile 2 in a spot that feels like the perfect conclusion to the franchise — and the perfect jumping-off point for the career of one of the most exciting horror directors of his generation."[42] David Fear of Rolling Stone wrote, "There are long stretches where you actually forget you're watching a Smile movie and couldn't be blamed for thinking you've stumbled into a slightly more nightmarish version of Beyond the Lights."[43] Benjamin Lee of The Guardian gave the film 3/5 stars, writing, "I'm not sure if Smile 2 really adds much to an experience that we don't already know but it does make for a neat, well-utilised setting for a horror film about losing one's mind."[44] Variety's Owen Gleiberman said, "The movie is hardly subtle, yet Parker Finn has become a clever enough filmmaker to make reality feel like a hallucination and hallucinations feel like reality."[45]

Bilge Ebiri of Vulture was more critical, writing, "As Skye becomes increasingly unable to tell what's actually happening and what's a waking nightmare, we should feel more for her, and we should feel more with her. Instead, we lose interest, as the whole thing becomes pointless and even a little cynical and cruel. The movie ultimately scuttles its own ambitions."[46] NME's James Mottram said, "Sadly, Smile 2 doesn't feel as fresh as its predecessor. Partly because it borrows liberally from films like Flatliners (and tries to out-gore The Substance for all the bloody prosthetics)... in essence this is just a re-run of the first movie, just in a slightly glitzier environment."[47]

Accolades

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Award/Festival Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
The Astra Awards December 8, 2024 Best Horror or Thriller Feature Smile 2 Pending [48]
Best Actress Naomi Scott Pending
Best Performance in a Horror or Thriller Pending

Future

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In September 2024, writer/director Parker Finn confirmed plans to continue the franchise with a third film; stating: "...we've maybe only scooped a single glass of water out of the ocean. ...I think it's really fun to imagine a lineage of Smile movies where each one becomes more off the rails than the previous one."[49]

Notes

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  1. ^ As depicted in Smile (2022)
  2. ^ A fictional version of Madison Square Garden

References

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  1. ^ "Smile 2 (18)". BBFC. September 30, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Smile 2". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Smile 2 (2024) – Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  4. ^ "Smile 2's Rose Cameo Makes the Original Movie's Ending Even Darker". Screen Rant.
  5. ^ a b Davids, Brian (December 9, 2022). "How Parker Finn's Smile Went From Streaming to Theatrical in a Single Night". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  6. ^ Kaye, Don (December 2, 2022). "Smile Director: Ending 'Purposefully' Leaves Room for Sequel". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  7. ^ Nichols, Tyler (November 27, 2022). "Smile Interview: Parker Finn (writer/director)". JoBlo. Archived from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  8. ^ Kit, Borys (March 15, 2023). "Smile Filmmaker Parker Finn Signs First-Look Deal With Paramount (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 22, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  9. ^ Peralta, Diego (April 27, 2023). "Smile Sequel in the Works at Paramount". Collider. Archived from the original on September 22, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  10. ^ Nolfi, Joey (October 19, 2024). "Smile 2 ending explained: What that horrifying twist could mean for a potential third film". Entertainment Weekly.
  11. ^ Kroll, Justin (December 13, 2023). "Naomi Scott To Star In Next Installment In Paramount's Smile Franchise". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  12. ^ "Smile 2: Naomi Scott Says Her Pop Star Character Is Similar to Lady Gaga (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight. October 14, 2024. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  13. ^ Grobar, Matt (January 9, 2024). "Lukas Gage Boards Smile Sequel". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  14. ^ Grobar, Matt (February 12, 2024). "Smile Sequel Adds Dylan Gelula To Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  15. ^ Cordero, Rosy (February 14, 2024). "Raúl Castillo & Miles Gutierrez-Riley Round Out Casting For Smile Sequel From Paramount". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 14, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  16. ^ Gonzalez, Umberto (January 11, 2024). "Rosemarie DeWitt and Kyle Gallner Round Out Untitled Smile Sequel Cast Exclusive". TheWrap. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  17. ^ Squires, John (September 3, 2024). "Smile 2 – Open Wide and Watch the Official Trailer for Paramount's Horror Sequel". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  18. ^ Nolfi, Joey (October 20, 2024). "Smile 2 director cast Jack Nicholson's son in homage to The Shining: 'Looks exactly like Jack'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  19. ^ Boris (January 24, 2024). "Hollywood Film Crew Takes Over Newburgh Brewing Company Taproom". WPDH. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  20. ^ Hermanns, Grant (March 9, 2024). "Smile 2 Gets Surprising Filming Update From New Horror Movie Star". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  21. ^ Walsh, Katie (October 17, 2024). "Review: Bigger, gorier Smile 2 one of wildest horror rides of the year". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  22. ^ "Cristobal Tapia de Veer Scoring Parker Finn's Smile 2". Film Music Reporter. September 3, 2024. Archived from the original on September 3, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  23. ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 20, 2024). "Smile 2 Happier With $23M Opening; A24's We Live In Time Making Dime With $4M+, Anora Wows With Massive $90K Theater Average – Sunday Box Officee". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 8, 2024. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  24. ^ "Smile 2: The Skye Riley EP - EP by Skye Riley & Naomi Scott". Retrieved October 11, 2024 – via Apple Music.
  25. ^ "First Teaser Trailer for SMILE 2 Reveals Naomi Scott's Popstar Character Skye Riley". GeekTyrant. June 18, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  26. ^ Squires, John (June 13, 2024). "Viral Marketing Campaign for Smile 2 Already Underway?". Bloody Disgusting!. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  27. ^ Zemler, Emily (June 18, 2024). "Naomi Scott Is a Pop Star Pursued by Evil in Smile 2 Trailer". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 2, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  28. ^ Drum, Nicole (September 13, 2024). "Smile 2 Viral Marketing Kicks Off in The Most Appropriate Place Possible". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  29. ^ "Home". Skye Riley. Archived from the original on August 30, 2024. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  30. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 22, 2023). "Smile 2 Sets Release Date, One Love Moves". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 22, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  31. ^ Lammers, Tim (November 16, 2024). "Horror Hit 'Smile 2' Debuts On Digital Streaming This Week". Forbes. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  32. ^ Squires, John (November 18, 2024). "'Smile 2' Comes Home to Digital Outlets This Tuesday!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  33. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 16, 2024). "Smile 2 Heading For High Teens At Weekend Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  34. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (October 16, 2024). "Box Office: 'Smile 2' Aims to Carve Out $20 Million in Opening Weekend". Variety. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  35. ^ "Domestic Box Office For Oct 18, 2024". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  36. ^ Moreau, Jordan (October 18, 2024). "Box Office: Smile 2 Makes $2.5 Million in Previews". Variety. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  37. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (October 20, 2024). "Smile 2 Leads Box Office With $23 Million Debut, A24's We Live in Time Cracks Top Five". Variety. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  38. ^ "Domestic 2024 Weekend 43". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  39. ^ Campbell, Christopher (October 16, 2024). "Smile 2 First Reviews: One of the Best Horror Films of the Year". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  40. ^ "Smile 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 21, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata 
  41. ^ "Smile 2". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  42. ^ Goslin, Austen (October 17, 2024). "Smile 2 is smarter, scarier, and much better than the first movie". Polygon. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  43. ^ Fear, David (October 17, 2024). "Smile 2 Proves There's Nothing Scarier Than Pop Stardom". Rolling Stone.
  44. ^ Lee, Benjamin (October 17, 2024). "Smile 2 review – gory pop star horror sequel sings a familiar tune". The Guardian.
  45. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (October 16, 2024). "'Smile 2' Review: A Skillfully Disquieting Sequel Turns the Life of a Pop Star Into a Horror Ride of Mental Breakdown". Variety. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  46. ^ Ebiri, Bilge (October 17, 2024). "Smile 2's Ideas Are Scarier Than the Movie Itself". Vulture. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  47. ^ Mottram, James (October 16, 2024). "'Smile 2' review: unhappy horror sequel might make you frown". NME. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  48. ^ Pond, Steve (November 25, 2024). "'Wicked' Leads Nominations for Astra Film Awards". TheWrap. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  49. ^ Milici, Lauren; O'Brien, Steve (September 28, 2024). "Smile 2 director says the sequel uses ideas that didn't make it into the first film – and he already has a plan for a third movie too". GamesRadar / SFX Magazine. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
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