This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Lukas Gage in a scene from "Smile 2." (Paramount Pictures via AP)
Horror films dominated the box office this weekend, with “Smile 2” and “Terrifier 3” attracting large crowds, while the Oscar hopeful “Anora” made an impressive debut.
“Smile 2,” the highly anticipated sequel to the 2022 hit, debuted with $23 million, surpassing expectations. Directed by Parker Finn, who also helmed the original, the film follows a pop star, played by Naomi Scott, in a supernatural horror setting. The first “Smile” was a surprise success, grossing $217 million on a modest $17 million budget, prompting Paramount to give the sequel a bigger budget and a full theatrical release. “Smile 2” opened slightly higher than the original’s $22 million.
In its fourth weekend, Universal and DreamWorks’ animated feature “The Wild Robot” secured second place with $10.1 million, pushing its domestic total past $100 million. Speculation arose that some teens may have purchased tickets for the family-friendly film but instead snuck into “Terrifier 3,” a gory horror film unfit for younger audiences. Despite this rumor, “Terrifier 3” performed well on its own, earning $9.3 million in its second weekend, bringing its total to $36.2 million. Made for just $2 million, the horror film is turning into a low-budget success story.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros. continued to struggle with “Joker: Folie à Deux,” which saw another sharp drop, earning just $2.2 million in its third weekend, for a domestic total of $56.4 million. However, the studio found better success with “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” which added $5 million in its seventh weekend, boosting its total to $284 million. Michael Keaton, the film’s star, also had another film, “Goodrich,” release this weekend, though it had a weak opening with $600,000 from 1,055 theaters.
Another standout of the weekend was Sean Baker’s “Anora,” which opened in limited release and earned $630,000 across six theaters, achieving the highest per-theater average of the year with $105,000. The film, starring Mikey Madison, is expected to be a strong contender in the upcoming awards season.
Elsewhere, A24’s romantic drama “We Live In Time,” starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, expanded to 985 theaters, earning $4.2 million. The film attracted a younger, female audience and will continue to expand next weekend.
Disney also found success with re-releases, including “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” which earned $1.1 million, and “Hocus Pocus,” which added $841,000.
Next weekend, the box office competition heats up with the release of “Venom: The Last Dance” and the papal thriller “Conclave.”
