Paramount and Temple Hill are beaming from ear to ear, their joy palpable as their latest cinematic offering, 'Smile 2,' triumphantly emerged victorious in the domestic box office race. The horror sequel raked in an impressive estimated $23 million across 3,619 theaters, including IMAX and other premium large-screen formats, narrowly edging out its predecessor. The original 'Smile,' a sleeper success, debuted with $22.6 million in late September 2022, ultimately grossing over $217 million worldwide on a modest $17 million budget.
Globally, the sequel mirrored its domestic success, also accumulating $23 million. With writer-director Parker Finn back at the helm, 'Smile 2' delves into the tale of a malevolent entity that hops from host to host, leaving behind a chilling grin. This time, the dark force infiltrates a troubled pop star (played by Naomi Scott), feeding on her vast well of trauma, as noted in The Hollywood Reporter's review. Scott shares the screen with Lukas Gage, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Miles Gutierrez-Riley in this $28 million production, a modest investment for a major studio endeavor.
Audiences awarded 'Smile 2' with a B CinemaScore, slightly improving upon the B- rating of the first film. However, it faced stiff competition from 'Terrifier 3,' a slasher flick that opened to $18.9 million last weekend despite being unrated and sans TV advertising. Cineverse's offering held steady in third place, grossing over $9 million from 2,762 theaters, pushing its domestic total to roughly $36 million against a $2 million budget.
Intriguingly, some speculate that DreamWorks/Universal's animated film 'The Wild Robot' is reaping the unintended benefits of 'Terrifier 3's' restrictive audience policy, which prohibits anyone under 17 from attending without an adult companion. This has prompted rival studios to surmise that teenagers might be purchasing tickets for 'Wild Robot' and sneaking into 'Terrifier 3' (or even the R-rated 'Smile 2'). Regardless, 'Wild Robot,' also available via premium VOD, boasts the honor of occupying second place in its fourth week, crossing the $100 million milestone domestically with an additional $10 million haul from 3,829 theaters, amassing a domestic total of $101.7 million through Sunday and $196 million globally.
John Crowley's romantic drama 'We Live in Time' stole the spotlight by climbing to fifth place after expanding to 985 theaters, following a limited release last weekend. Starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, the film garnered $4.2 million from its wider release. A24 plans to take 'We Live in Time' nationwide next weekend.
The awards season buzz centered around Sean Baker's 'Anora,' which premiered in six theaters in New York and Los Angeles. This Neon-distributed specialty film, which won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, follows a sex worker who falls for a Russian oligarch's son. 'Anora' registered an estimated per-theater average of $90,000, the strongest showing since Wes Anderson's 'Asteroid City' last year and ranking among the top five of the past five years. "Baker is a visionary director who deeply understands the significance of the theatrical experience and the imperative for films to be viewed on the big screen," said Neon's distribution head, Elissa Federoff. "With Mikey Madison's unparalleled performance as Anora and the film's robust awards prospects, it's undeniable that 'Anora' will continue to captivate a wide audience as we move into the fall."
Last weekend, several rival Oscar hopefuls, including Jason Reitman's 'Saturday Night,' struggled after opting for a nationwide opening over a gradual platform release. 'Piece By Piece,' the Pharrell Williams-produced biographical animated feature co-created with LEGO, placed seventh with $2.1 million, bringing its domestic total to $7.6 million. Focus Features' release saw a 45% drop, while 'Saturday Night' slipped to ninth place, down 47% to $1.8 million for a domestic cumulative of $7.6 million. Meanwhile, the anti-Donald Trump film 'The Apprentice' plummeted 60% to 13th place, grossing $680,000 for a domestic total of $3.3 million.
Among major studio holdovers, 'Deadpool & Wolverine' reached another milestone as it nears the end of its theatrical run. Over the weekend, the third installment
