“Smile 2,” a sequel to Paramount's spooky psychological thriller, aims to put a smile on the faces of desperate movie theater owners.

The film is expected to collect $20 million to $25 million from 3,500 North American theaters in its first weekend. Those earnings would be comparable to the original “Smile,” which was commissioned for streaming before hitting theaters and grossed $22.6 million in 2022. It became a surprise hit with $105 million domestically and $217 million worldwide. With “Smile 2” generating solid reviews, box office watchers believe initial ticket sales for the sequel could top $25 million. However, sources at Paramount give a more conservative estimate in the high teens, citing horror sequels like “Don't Breathe 2” and “It: Chapter Two” that opened earlier than their predecessors. The follow-up film cost $28 million to produce.

Parker Finn returned to direct “Smile 2,” about a pop singer who experiences a series of disturbing events while on tour. Naomi Scott stars in the film alongside Rosemarie DeWitt and Lukas Gage. diversity The film's chief critic, Owen Gleiberman, praised “Smile 2” as “a horror film that strives to create a real emotional center,” adding that the best thing about the film is that “it keeps the audience off balance. “

So far, 2024 hasn't been a particularly strong year for horror films, which are usually one of the most reliable genres to fill slots in multiplexes. The scariest thing at the box office in the spooky month of October was the collapse of Joker: Folie à Deux, which was supposed to be another crazy comic book hit that would fill theaters during the Halloween season. Instead, the sequel to 2019's billion-dollar hit “Joker” has turned into a box office disaster. After ticket sales plummeted 81% on the second weekend of release, the forecast for the third release isn't promising. The $200 million offbeat musical has grossed $53.3 million domestically and $165.8 million worldwide after a two-week release. In comparison, the first Joker had grossed $96.2 million domestically and $248.4 million worldwide three days after its release. The sequel isn't expected to gross as much when it hits theaters.

Elsewhere at the domestic box office, last weekend's surprise winner “Terrifier 3” is expected to drop about 65% from its stellar $18.8 million debut. That would put the extremely gory, low-budget slasher film's second-weekend gross at $6 million to $7 million.

“The Wild Robot” from Universal and DreamWorks Animation should also have another good success this weekend. The well-reviewed family film is aiming for $10 million in its third release, which would mark a whopping 30% drop from the previous weekend. So far, “The Wild Robot” has grossed $87.7 million in North America and $152 million worldwide.

Sean Baker's Palme d'Or-winning “Anora” will have a limited release in six theaters in Los Angeles and New York City. The Neon film, a comical look at an exotic dancer and sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch, will continue to expand its presence this fall.

After “Joker: Folie à Deux” failed to bring the box office to life, its year-to-date revenue is 11.2% behind the same figure in 2023 and 26.4% behind 2019, according to Comscore. So Hollywood studios are waiting and theater operators on “Smile 2” and “Venom: The Last Dance” (Oct. 25) to save the fall season from the Thanksgiving releases of “Wicked,” “Gladiator II” and “Moana 2.”