(Updated 10/17/2024)
Following a surprise hit movie with a sequel is always a challenge. With SMILE, the 2022 horror breakout that surprised everyone, the task of crafting a follow-up seems more daunting than most. You can't expect the same formula to work in the same way. But for SMILE 2, writer/director Parker Finn has come up with some great ideas.
Inspired, perhaps, by the mega-huge tours of artists like Taylor Swift and Beyoncè, SMILE 2 follows a pop star whose new tour might not go as planned, because the singer is facing a demonic incursion in the form of a strange smiling presence.
Here's the final trailer for SMILE 2, and everything else we know about the horror sequel.
What's the Smile 2 Release Date?
Thanks to Paramount Pictures, you can see SMILE 2 in theaters on October 18, 2024
Watch the Final Smile 2 Trailer
All of the trailers for SMILE 2 have promised something different from the first movie. There's a new lead character, a very different setting, and some new motivations that set the horror in motion.
What's the Plot of Smile 2?
Officially, the plot description of SMILE 2 is "About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control."
One thing we should not expect is for the shadowy entity at the center of both SMILE and SMILE 2 to be explained in full. This probably isn't a backstory. Filmmaker Parker Finn knows the value of mystery, and isn't likely to give up all of the entity's secrets.
And that plot and character setup means that SMILE 2 made demands on the actors that most horror movies do not. Naomi Scott has to sing and perform choreographed stage dances, which required that she create those aspects of her performance before even getting to set.
SMILE 2 opens on October 18.
All images courtesy of Paramount Pictures.