Little wins are still wins. In case of Smile 2, profits will be solid as the sequel to the surprise hit opened to $23 million on its opening weekend.
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| Smile 2. (C) Paramount |
That's almost the same as its predecessor which opened to $22.6 million back in 2022. That legged out to $105 million domestically and $217 million worldwide. Maybe it would've been nice if it saw an increase since it may not have the longevity of the first film, but this is not bad at all.
They have also kept the budget low at $28 million (Smile was produced at $17 million). Competition is stronger next weekend with the arrival of Venom: The Last Dance but, fortunately, it is guarded by strong critic (83% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences scores ("B" Cinemascore) to compete during Halloween. Besides, it's the current top horror flick with Terrifier 3.
In second place, The Wild Robot keeps on chugging with another amazing 24 percent drop this weekend at $10.1 million. The animation has also now crossed the century mark after four weeks. With $102 million now in the bank and Moana 2 still weeks away, Robot still has more fuel to go.
Last week's top film Terrifier 3 added $9.3 million this weekend which is a solid 50 percent drop for a total of $36 million. It should enjoy another strong week thanks to the upcoming Halloween weekend.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is also hanging in there. In its seventh weekend, the sequel added $5 million for a total of $284 million. It's performing so good that there's now a chance for it to get close around a $300 million domestic total.
Another big win this weekend is the expansion of A24's We Live in Time starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh. The drama grossed $4.19 million in 985 cinemas. On the other hand, Joker: Folie à Deux continues its quick tumble at the box office with a third weekend gross of $2.18 million for a total of $56.4 million. At this rate, could even end its run lower than the final domestic total of recent Warner Bros. feature Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga ($67 million).
Rounding out the top ten are Piece by Piece ($2.1 million), Transformers One ($1.97 million), Saturday Night ($1.8 million), and the re-release of Nightmare Before Christmas ($1.13 million)
Overall box office is down from last year when Taylor Swift blocked the top spot from Killers of the Flower Moon.
