As a seasoned horror fan with a knack for recognizing the pulse of the genre, I must say that the success story of Parker Finn’s Smile franchise is nothing short of exhilarating! The box office triumph of Smile 2, matching its predecessor’s opening weekend numbers, is truly a testament to the power of a well-crafted horror film and the anticipation it generates.
In 2022, Parker Finn’s “Smile” turned out to be an unexpected blockbuster at the box office. Initially, there were plans to release this horror movie through streaming platforms, but Paramount Pictures decided to give it a try in theaters instead. As a result, it became a smash hit during the Halloween season. The film generated a lot of excitement, which resulted in its success on opening weekend. By the time it was taken off the big screen, it had grossed more than $200 million worldwide.
Two years have passed since then, and now we have the release of Parker Finn’s “Smile 2”. It seems that the sequel is following a similar path towards success.
The latest horror movie received overwhelmingly positive feedback as it debuted over the weekend (as indicated by my four-star review of Smile 2 on TopMob), which has resulted in its opening weekend earning more than the original’s did. You can find the complete Top 10 list below, and stay tuned for further discussion.
Smile 2 Is Doing Matching Business With Its Predecessor, Putting Up Similar Opening Weekend Numbers
The film, titled “Smile,” made a strong debut during the surge of original horror productions in late September 2022. It opened in cinemas a week after the buzzworthy release of Olivia Wilde’s movie, “Don’t Worry Darling,” and on the same weekend as Nicholas Stoller’s comedy, “Bros.” In its first three days, it managed to rake in an impressive $22.6 million at the box office.
Based on initial data from The Numbers, it appears that the movie titled Smile 2 is showing comparable or slightly improved box office performance, with a domestic earnings of approximately $23 million thus far.
The initial results for the new release aren’t spectacular, but there are several perspectives to consider that paint a positive picture. One significant aspect is that unlike some follow-up releases that become extravagant after achieving box office success, the production of “Smile” had a more modest budget of $17 million, as reported in 2022. While “Smile 2” may have been more expensive, it still worked with a reasonable budget of $28 million, according to Deadline and Parker Finn.
In contrast, the Joker movies by Warner Bros. and Todd Phillips, particularly the one released in 2019, were quite different. The original Joker was a significant hit as a mid-budget production. However, its billion-dollar success prompted Warner Bros. to invest heavily in Joker: Folie à Deux, which is currently looking like a major flop at the box office. As you can see from the Top 10 chart above, things don’t seem to be improving for the DC comics adaptation.
It’s worth mentioning that Smile 2 might face a slight challenge compared to Smile, given that it has fewer days leading up to Halloween at month’s end (it’ll be intriguing to observe how the movie fares post-Halloween). However, there are several encouraging aspects to highlight following its opening weekend showing.
One key advantage that “Smile 2” seems to have over Parker Finn’s initial film is the buzz it has generated, as data indicates that audiences appear to be enjoying the sequel more than the original. For instance, CinemaScore surveys awarded a “B” grade for the 2024 release, which isn’t just decent for a horror movie but also represents a slight improvement over the “B-” score given to “Smile” two years prior. Moreover, it’s not just critics who seem more fond of the sequel; on Rotten Tomatoes, the professional score of 83% is slightly higher than the 80% rating for the first film, but the audience score of 84% for the sequel is notably superior to the 77% received by its predecessor in 2022.
The data indicates that “Smile 2” could generate a lot of positive buzz among viewers over the next few weeks, which could prove to be very significant. One major factor behind the success of the original “Smile” was its minimal decline in ticket sales following its initial release, and there’s potential for the sequel to replicate that kind of box office performance.
Without a doubt, the upcoming weekend’s events promise to be captivating, as they feature a highly anticipated competition. Last year, Smile faced stiff box office competitors like David Gordon Green’s Halloween Ends and Jaume Collet-Serra’s Black Adam. This year, Kelly Marcel’s Venom: The Last Dance is set to challenge Smile 2, making for an intriguing Hollywood face-off.
Terrifier 3 Settles For Third Place As The Wild Robot Crosses $100 Million Domestically
The success for “Smile 2” doesn’t necessarily bode well for “Terrifier 3” by Damien Leone, as the strong showing of the former has drawn attention away from the latter… but it didn’t lead to a catastrophe. As we learned last Sunday, the horror film with a focus on gore had an impressive box office debut, earning $18.9 million. Today, we can confirm that it saw a relatively small decrease of 51% in its second weekend.
In the past three days alone, Terrifier 3 has earned an additional $9.3 million domestically, raising its total earnings to a staggering $36.2 million. Given that the film was made on a budget of only $2 million, it’s clear that this low-budget production has been nothing short of a triumphant success. To witness an independent film making such an impressive impact at the box office is truly remarkable, and it seems probable that the movie will continue to hold a spot among the Top 5 until the end of the month.
One significant point to highlight about the film’s box office performance is that it came in third place, but this is merely due to Chris Sander’s The Wild Robot maintaining its impressive earnings. The DreamWorks Animation production has once again enjoyed a fantastic weekend, marking its third consecutive week at the top spot. This consistency has allowed the movie to reach an important achievement: it has surpassed $100 million in domestic earnings. Starring Lupita Nyong’o and Pedro Pascal, the film has been garnering rave reviews since its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last month. Domestically, it now ranks as the sixteenth highest-grossing release of the year.
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2024-10-20 20:07