Smile 2 all smiles at the US box office

After Terrifier 3, it’s a new horror film that takes the top spot in the American rankings.

Horror movies are similar at the US box office. A week after Terrifier 3’s success, which dethroned Joker 2, it is Smile 2 ‘s turn to display a wide smile.

With an opening weekend of $23 million across the Atlantic, the sequel to Paramount’s psychological thriller has had a convincing launch, in the vein of the first part which had opened at $22.6 million in 2022. Initially planned for streaming, Smile had become a surprise success with $217 million in worldwide receipts, thus launching a new franchise.

Directed again by Parker Finn, Smile 2 cost $28 million and is already at nearly $50 million in worldwide revenue after a few days, riding on positive reviews and momentum that is very favorable to the horror genre this October.

Terrifier 3 thus remains on the podium with $10 million for its second weekend (down 52%). The ultra-bloody low-budget horror film has already grossed $36 million worldwide. Art the Clown is already doing better than at the time of Terrifier 2 (15.7 million in 2022).

Violence pays off, except for Joker: Folie à Deux which plunges to 6th place. For its third weekend, the Warner Bros. film only takes $2.18 million in 2,857 theaters and is coming off as a disaster at the box office: $56.4 million in the United States and $192 million worldwide for now. Light years away from the billion-dollar first installment.

For some sweetness, look to Universal and DreamWorks Animation. The Wild Robot holds onto second place with $10 million in its fourth weekend. The family tale has earned $101.7 million in the U.S. and about $160 million worldwide so far.

Also notable in this US box office is the impressive start of Love Now (released on January 22, 2025 in France). The romantic drama that reunites Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh debuts in 5th place in the ranking with $4.1 million. A very good score for a limited release, in only 955 theaters.

Anora has done even better: Sean Baker’s 2024 Palme d’Or (which will be released on October 30 in France) has collected $540,000 in only… 6 theaters, in Los Angeles and New York. A very limited release, but which allows the film to scrape together a ratio of $90,000 per theater, the best average per screen of the year and the second highest average per screen since COVID (behindWes Anderson’sAsteroid City.