Paramount’s Smile 2 took the top spot at the box office this weekend, earning $23 million in its debut. Overall, the box office gross for all films was $70 million, which is 17% lower than the $84.2 million earned this same weekend last year.
In comparison, last year’s weekend leader was Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which brought in $33.2 million in its second weekend, while Killers of the Flower Moon, directed by Martin Scorsese, debuted with $23.3 million.
Last year’s fourth-quarter box office champion, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, ended the period with a total of $180 million. Next weekend, expectations are high for Sony and Marvel’s Venom: The Last Dance, which is anticipated to boost 2024’s results and make it a winning weekend compared to 2023.
Smile 2 builds on the success of the original Smile from 2022, which exceeded expectations by grossing $105.9 million domestically and $217.4 million worldwide, nearly 13 times its $17 million production budget. The success of the first film led to a quick green light for a sequel, with production starting in April 2023, just five months after the first film’s theatrical run ended.
While the original Smile followed a therapist haunted by a series of smiling people foretelling death, Smile 2 shifts focus to a pop star who experiences unsettling events as she prepares for a tour. The sequel continues to build on the theme of a dark, unseen entity using smiling faces to terrorize its victims, with director Parker Finn teasing the possibility of more films in the franchise. Watch the trailer below:
Elsewhere at the box office, The Wild Robot from Universal and DreamWorks held strong in second place, earning $10.1 million, bringing its domestic total to $101.7 million and $171.5 million worldwide after 24 days. Horror hit Terrifier 3 took third place with $9.3 million, bringing its domestic total to $36.2 million in just 10 days, already surpassing the totals of previous films in the series.
Meanwhile, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice added another $5 million, reaching a domestic total of $284 million after 45 days. Globally, the film has grossed $431 million, more than four times its production budget, though director Tim Burton expressed doubts about making a third installment.
Finally, A24’s romantic drama We Live in Time, starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, earned $4.2 million in its debut weekend. Directed by John Crowley, the film has received favorable reviews and holds an 80% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, though it will need to expand its theater count to achieve profitability.
As of October 17, 2024, the year-to-date box office stands at 87% of 2023 totals and 73% of 2019’s numbers. Final numbers below:
REELated:
This article was brought to you for FREE. Independent Journalism is not. Please support Reel 360 News and Reel Chicago by donating here.
