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== Plot ==
== Plot ==
Six days after witnessing Rose Cotter's suicide and having the Smile Entity's curse passed onto him,{{efn|As depicted in ''[[Smile (2022 film)|Smile]]'' (2022)}} police officer Joel attempts to pass it on by confronting two criminals, intending to make one of them his witness. After killing one, the intended witness dies in a shootout. However, drug dealer Lewis Fregoli inadvertently witnesses the event and inherits the curse. Now free, Joel flees from approaching criminals, but is fatally run over by a pickup truck.
Six days after witnessing Rose Cotter's suicide and having the Smile Entity's curse passed onto him,{{efn|As depicted in ''[[Smile (2022 film)|Smile]]'' (2022)}} police officer Joel attempts to pass it on by confronting two criminals, intending to make one of them his witness. After killing one, the intended witness dies in a shootout. However, drug dealer Lewis Fregoli inadvertently witnesses the event and inherits the curse. Now free, Joel flees from approaching criminals, but is fatally run over by a pickup truck.


In New York City, [[Grammy Awards|Grammy]]-winning pop star Skye Riley prepares for her comeback tour after a public struggle with [[substance abuse]] and a car crash that killed her boyfriend, actor Paul Hudson. Despite constant supervision from her mother and manager Elizabeth and assistant Joshua, Skye is secretly taking [[vicodin]] for back pain. When she sneaks out to buy additional drugs from Lewis, Skye witnesses him, in a manic state, smile and smash his own face in with a [[weight plate]], killing himself. Traumatized, Skye flees, too afraid to call the police and reveal her presence.
In New York City, [[Grammy Awards|Grammy]]-winning pop star Skye Riley prepares for her comeback tour after a public struggle with [[substance abuse]] and a car crash that killed her boyfriend, actor Paul Hudson. Despite constant supervision from her mother and manager Elizabeth and assistant Joshua, Skye is secretly taking [[vicodin]] for back pain. When she sneaks out to buy additional drugs from Lewis, Skye witnesses him, in a manic state, smile and smash his own face in with a [[weight plate]], killing himself. Traumatized, Skye flees, too afraid to call the police and reveal her presence.

Revision as of 12:36, 21 October 2024

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$46 million[2][3]

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 as she is about to go on tour. It also features Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Raúl Castillo, Dylan Gelula, and Ray Nicholson, as well as Kyle Gallner reprising his role from the first film.

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, 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. The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed over $46 million worldwide.

Plot

Six days after witnessing Rose Cotter's suicide and having the Smile Entity's curse passed onto him,[a] police officer Joel attempts to pass it on by confronting two criminals, intending to make one of them his witness. After killing one, the intended witness dies in a shootout. However, drug dealer Lewis Fregoli inadvertently witnesses the event and inherits the curse. Now free, Joel flees from approaching criminals, but is fatally run over by a pickup truck.

In New York City, Grammy-winning pop star Skye Riley prepares for her comeback tour after a public struggle with substance abuse and a car crash that killed her boyfriend, actor Paul Hudson. Despite constant supervision from her mother and manager Elizabeth and assistant Joshua, Skye is secretly taking vicodin for back pain. When she sneaks out to buy additional drugs from Lewis, Skye witnesses him, in a manic state, smile and smash his own face in with a weight plate, killing himself. Traumatized, Skye flees, too afraid to call the police and reveal her presence.

The curse soon manifests as Skye experiences physical and auditory hallucinations, including people eerily smiling at her, causing Skye's mental health to deteriorate rapidly. Desperate, she contacts her estranged ex girlfriend Gemma, and they reconcile. Skye then receives a text from an unknown number, warning her that they know she was at Lewis' apartment and that she is in danger.

At a charity event, initiated by music executive Darius, where Skye is invited to speak, the teleprompter stalls—later revealed as a hallucination—forcing her to give an embarrassing impromptu speech. From the shocked audience, she sees a smiling "Paul" begin to approach her. In a panic, Skye lashes out, accidentally injuring an elderly patron onstage. Seeking answers, Skye meets the unknown texter, Morris, an ER nurse who has been tracking the entity responsible for his brother's death. He explains that the curse passes to anyone who witnesses the victim's death. Morris theorizes the entity is parasitic and can die without a host, and suggests stopping Skye's heart and then resuscitating her to break the curse, but she flees after being recognized.

At her apartment, the entity attacks Skye in the form of her backup dancers, leaving Skye with a concussion. A flashback reveals she caused Paul's fatal crash during a bitter drug-fueled argument. Skye later wakes up at a wellness retreat, and after a bitter argument with her mother concerning the tour, watches in horror as Elizabeth smiles and stabs herself in the face. Skye then realizes she is covered in blood and was the one who stabbed her.

Skye grabs a security guard's gun and escapes the wellness retreat. She reunites with Gemma, and together they carjack Skye's private driver to meet Morris for the resuscitation procedure. However, Skye gets a supposed first call back from the real Gemma, revealing the entity has been impersonating her, leaving Skye dazed and confused behind the wheel. Skye meets Morris at an abandoned Pizza Hut, where they plan to use the walk-in freezer to slow the process and prevent permanent brain damage. After Morris steps out, the entity, appearing as Skye's past self, attacks her. Desperate, Skye injects herself with the syringe, but the entity mocks her, revealing she is still hallucinating. The entity locks her in the closet and tells her to "enjoy the show".

Skye suddenly finds herself on stage at her tour's opening night at Madison Square Garden. A still-alive Elizabeth, Joshua, and Darius watch happily from the audience, all the past events having been a hallucination. Unseen by others, the entity reveals its true form to Skye as a skinless, semi-humanoid monstrosity with multiple pairs of nested smiles. The entity forces its way into her body by crawling through her mouth. To the audience, she appears to choke and collapse. Smiling eerily, the now-possessed Skye rises, and, projected on the big screens, fatally stabs herself in the eye with her microphone, in front of Elizabeth, Joshua, Darius, and thousands of horrified spectators.

Cast

Naomi Scott promoting "Charlie's Angels" in 2019
Naomi Scott stars as pop singer Skye Riley
  • Naomi Scott as Skye Riley, a famous pop music recording artist
  • Rosemarie DeWitt as Elizabeth Riley, Skye's mother and manager
  • Lukas Gage as Lewis Fregoli, a drug dealer and former classmate of Skye
  • Miles Gutierrez-Riley as Joshua, Elizabeth and Skye's assistant
  • Peter Jacobson as Morris, a nurse
  • Ray Nicholson as Paul Hudson, a deceased actor and Skye's former boyfriend
  • Dylan Gelula as Gemma, Skye's estranged best friend
  • Raúl Castillo as Darius, the head of Skye's record company
  • Kyle Gallner as Joel, a police officer who previously was cursed by the Smile Entity

Additionally, Drew Barrymore appears as herself, interviewing Skye on her talk show.

Production

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.[4] 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."[4][5][6] In March 2023, following the commercial success of Smile, Finn signed a first-look deal with Paramount Pictures to develop additional horror projects.[7] 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.[8]

In December 2023, Naomi Scott was cast in a leading role,[9] which she stated was inspired by the early 2010s Lady Gaga as well as Britney Spears.[10] In early 2024, Lukas Gage, Rosemarie DeWitt, Dylan Gelula, Raúl Castillo and Miles Gutierrez-Riley joined the cast.[11][12][13] Kyle Gallner reprised his role as Joel from the first film.[14] In September 2024, it was revealed Drew Barrymore would appear as herself in the film.[15] The casting of Ray Nicholson was an homage to his father Jack Nicholson's role in The Shining (1980).[16] 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.[17][18] Returning Smile crew members included cinematographer Charlie Sarroff, editor Elliot Greenberg, and composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer.[19][20] The film's budget was $28 million.[21]

Music

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, under the moniker "Skye Riley". It was released through Interscope Records on October 11, 2024.[22]

Background

On June 8, 2024, the @SkyeRileyNation Instagram account began teasing a new era of a popstar named Skye Riley.[23] On June 13, Bloody Disgusting spotted promotional billboards promoting the artist and her new music.[24] 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.[25] The film was promoted with an audience member at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards.[26] The second single, "Grieved You", was released on September 13.[27]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Grieved You"
Take a Daytrip2:40
2."New Brain"
  • Idarose
  • Paul Bogum
  • Keven Wolfsohn
Idarose3:05
3."Just My Name"
Idarose3:32
4."Blood on White Satin"IdaroseIdarose2:43
5."Death of Me"
  • Scott
  • Idarose
Idarose2:46
6."Just My Name" (piano version)
  • Scott
  • Idarose
Idarose3:15
Total length:17:58

Release

Smile 2 was released by Paramount Pictures on October 18, 2024.[28]

Reception

Box office

As of October 20, 2024, Smile 2 has grossed $23 million in the United States and Canada, and $23 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $46 million.[2][3]

In the United States and Canada, Smile 2 was projected to gross $17–25 million from 3,500 theaters in its opening weekend.[29][30] The film made $9.4 million on its first day, including an estimated $2.5 million in previews.[31][21] The film went on to debut to $23 million, topping the original's $22.6 million debut and finishing first at the box office.[32]

Critical response

The film received positive reviews from critics, who said it was an improvement over the first film.[33] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 133 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 at his disposal, writer-director Parker Finn broadens Smile's conceit into a pop stardom nightmare that'll leave a rictus grin on horror fans' faces."[34] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 66 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[35] 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).[21]

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."[36] 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."[37] 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."[38] 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."[39]

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."[40] 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."[41]

Notes

  1. ^ As depicted in Smile (2022).

References

  1. ^ "Smile 2 (18)". BBFC. September 30, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Smile 2". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Smile 2 (2024) – Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Nichols, Tyler (November 27, 2022). "Smile Interview: Parker Finn (writer/director)". JoBlo. Archived from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Smile 2: Naomi Scott Says Her Pop Star Character Is Similar to Lady Gaga (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight. October 14, 2024. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  11. ^ Grobar, Matt (January 9, 2024). "Lukas Gage Boards Smile Sequel". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  12. ^ Grobar, Matt (February 12, 2024). "Smile Sequel Adds Dylan Gelula To Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ "Cristobal Tapia de Veer Scoring Parker Finn's Smile 2". Film Music Reporter. September 3, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  21. ^ 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. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  22. ^ "Smile 2: The Skye Riley EP - EP by Skye Riley & Naomi Scott". Retrieved October 11, 2024 – via Apple Music.
  23. ^ "First Teaser Trailer for SMILE 2 Reveals Naomi Scott's Popstar Character Skye Riley". GeekTyrant. June 18, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  24. ^ Squires, John (June 13, 2024). "Viral Marketing Campaign for Smile 2 Already Underway?". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  25. ^ Zemler, Emily (June 18, 2024). "Naomi Scott Is a Pop Star Pursued by Evil in Smile 2 Trailer". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  26. ^ Drum, Nicole (September 13, 2024). "Smile 2 Viral Marketing Kicks Off in The Most Appropriate Place Possible". ComicBook.com. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  27. ^ "Home". Skye Riley. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 16, 2024). "Smile 2 Heading For High Teens At Weekend Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  30. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (October 16, 2024). "Box Office: 'Smile 2' Aims to Carve Out $20 Million in Opening Weekend". Variety. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  31. ^ Moreau, Jordan (October 18, 2024). "Box Office: Smile 2 Makes $2.5 Million in Previews". Variety. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  32. ^ 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.
  33. ^ Campbell, Christopher (October 16, 2024). "Smile 2 First Reviews: One of the Best Horror Films of the Year". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  34. ^ "Smile 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  35. ^ "Smile 2". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  36. ^ Goslin, Austen (October 17, 2024). "Smile 2 is smarter, scarier, and much better than the first movie". Polygon. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  37. ^ Fear, David (October 17, 2024). "Smile 2 Proves There's Nothing Scarier Than Pop Stardom". Rolling Stone.
  38. ^ Lee, Benjamin (October 17, 2024). "Smile 2 review – gory pop star horror sequel sings a familiar tune". The Guardian.
  39. ^ 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.
  40. ^ Ebiri, Bilge (October 17, 2024). "Smile 2's Ideas Are Scarier Than the Movie Itself". Vulture. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  41. ^ Mottram, James (October 16, 2024). "'Smile 2' review: unhappy horror sequel might make you frown". NME. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
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