After Smile became the highest-grossing horror movie of 2022 by earning $217 million at the box office, a sequel was inevitable, and in March 2023, Smile 2 was officially announced to be in production. Set for release next month, we now have another full look at the film thanks to a new trailer that was released today, which features Drew Barrymore’s return to horror… but not in the way you might think.
Starring Naomi Scott as pop sensation Skye Riley, Smile 2 looks to be even bigger than its predecessor, and promises another blood-soaked thrill ride which sees Scott’s character stalked by the same demonic entity that terrorized Sosie Bacon in the first movie. The new trailer showcases a plethora of gory imagery, sadistic smiles, and – to everyone’s surprise – a cameo by the legendary Drew Barrymore, who appears as herself in the film as the host of her popular talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show. While she was featured in 2022’s Scream in a small voiceover role, this will be the first time Barrymore has physically appeared in a horror movie since the 1996 Wes Craven classic. Check out the trailer for Smile 2 below.
Also starring Rosemarie DeWitt, Kyle Gallner, and Lukas Gage, Smile 2 sees the return of writer/director Parker Finn picking up where he left off after his debut hit a couple of years ago. Like Bacon’s character of Rose Cotter before her, Scott’s pop star persona begins to experience a series of terrifying events that lead her down the rabbit hole toward the skinless monster with a smile that only a mother could love. Check out the full synopsis below.
“Pop sensation Skye Riley begins to experience a series of increasingly disturbing and daunting events as she is about to go on a new world tour and is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.”
Can Smile 2 Replicate the Success of the First Movie?
When it debuted in 2022, Smile had a lot going for it, not the least of which was its original premise that turns an ordinary facial expression meant to express joy into a horrifying thing of evil. Released by Paramount Pictures with a modest budget of $17 million, Smile also looked to make a splash through its clever marketing campaign that saw actors planted at MLB games with demonic grins plastered on their faces. It certainly generated a lot of buzz for the movie, and helped contribute to its overall success at the box office.
While there was a viral campaign released earlier this year that sent more than a few internet sleuths down a rabbit hole for Smile 2, it doesn’t seem to have nearly the same buzz surrounding it as the first one did. Does this mean that it won’t be as successful financially? It’s too early to tell, but given the fact that the 2022 film was a breath of fresh air in a genre saturated with reboots and remakes, Finn and company will have to pull off something spectacular in the sequel to satiate audiences who are no doubt expecting big things from the sequel. Its premise is no longer new, so for the director’s sophomore outing to get a positive reception from fans, he’ll have to pull out all the stops, which – it seems – he’s done based on the new trailer.
Look for
Smile 2
to hit theaters on October 18 from Paramount Pictures.
