A much-anticipated sequel will be arriving in theaters just in time to ring in the scariest holiday of the year. Paramount Pictures has announced a release date for Smile 2 (which doesn’t have an official title just yet), with the sequel set to arrive on October 18, 2024, per Variety. Mark your calendars and plan accordingly.
Director Parker Finn’s Smile was one of the most unexpected horror hits of 2022. The film served as his feature directorial debut and was originally supposed to go directly to Paramount+. However, the studio wised up and opted to give it a theatrical release instead. That decision paid off in a big, bad way as the film pulled in $217 million at the box office against a very reasonable $17 million budget.
It ended up being the biggest original theatrical hit of any kind in 2022, amazingly enough, and one of the biggest original hits since the pandemic began. Not only did Paramount lock Finn down for a sequel, but they also signed him to a larger deal at the studio. The sequel is, understandably, a top priority.
It appears as though the studio will waste little time in getting the ball rolling. The big hurdle right now is the ongoing Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild strikes that have effectively shut down Hollywood for months. But once the studios and the guilds cut a deal, Finn will presumably get right to work in order to hit that release date, which is just over a year away. For those who may need a refresher, the synopsis for the first film reads as follows:
“After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.”
Plot details for the sequel are currently being kept under wraps. There’s also no word on who, if anyone from the first film will return, though Sosie Bacon seems like a very good bet. It’s also possible that Finn could choose to focus on an entirely new cast of characters. Either way, this will be the big horror movie to look forward to during next year’s Halloween season.
Look for Smile 2 in theaters on October 18, 2024.
