Summary

• The Smile 2 trailer at CinemaCon reveals Naomi Scott's role as a pop star with a curse passed onto her by Lukas Gage.
• The sequel expands the horror universe, using pop stardom to intensify the deadly curse's impact.
• Smile 2 is expected to hit theaters on October 18, 2024.

New footage from Smile 2 has been revealed at CinemaCon. Smile 2 is a sequel to the hit 2022 horror film Smile, which tells the story of a psychiatrist who becomes increasingly convinced that a creepy smiling being is threatening her after witnessing a traumatic incident with a patient. Smile 2 is expected for release on October 18, 2024. The sequel's leading cast includes Naomi Scott, Lukas Gage, Rosemarie DeWitt, Peter Jacobson, Paul Castillo, Dylan Gelula, and Kyle Gallner.

Per a Screen Rant representative at CinemaCon, new footage has been released for the upcoming Smile 2. The trailer shown at the convention reveals Naomi Scott's role as a pop star. The curse is then passed on to her by new franchise star Lukas Gage, who appears to Scott in a dark hallway. It's then revealed that the curse in the film is passed among Scott's character's fans, who swarm her with horrifying smiling faces. The trailer finishes with a young girl walking up to Scott’s character, smiling freakishly.

Will Smile 2 Be As Successful As The First Film?

Smile Was A Global Hit

The Smile 2 footage hints at an exciting expansion of the horror universe after Smile's ending. Using pop stardom as a plot device can help to capture the psychotically rampant nature of this devious and deadly curse. From the sounds of it, Scott’s lead character will be terrorized just as much if not more than Rose Cotter was in the first film.

The expanded scope of Smile 2 might allow the sequel to meet and exceed expectations from the first film.

Smile 2 has big shoes to fill after the release of the first Smile film back in 2022. Smile became a buzzy horror film before it even released, after an unusual marketing campaign saw people flashing MLB jumbotrons the film’s signature creepy grin at several baseball games. The momentum surrounding the film did not slow down, for Smile ended up grossing $217.4 million at the global box office. This is a considerable sum given that the film had a mere $17 million budget. As a result, Smile 2 was confirmed to be in development in April 2023.

In addition to its box office success, Smile also received positive reviews. The film scored a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a similarly impressive audience score of 77%. Smile also established director Parker Finn as an emerging voice in horror. Even before Smile 2 was officially announced, Paramount showed their trust in Finn by inviting him to sign a deal with them to develop additional horror projects.

Based on the intriguing description from CinemaCon, the expanded scope of Smile 2 might allow the sequel to meet and exceed expectations from the first film. More details will likely be revealed in the coming months as the release date for Smile 2 grows closer.

Smile is available to stream on Paramount+.

Source: CinemaCon