Plot Synopsis written by Michael Lee

*All Media used in this article is courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures’ Smile 2, released on October 18, 2024, earned $23 million in its domestic opening weekend and achieved a global cumulative total of $46 million. Directed by Parker Finn, the film stars Naomi Scott as pop star Skye Riley, who faces increasingly horrifying events while preparing for her world tour. This article provides an in-depth look at the film’s production, including cast interviews, a detailed plot breakdown, and an analysis of its reception across various media outlets.

Video: Cast & Crew Interviews: ‘Smile 2’

‘Smile 2’ (2024) Official Movie Trailer

Video Credit: Paramount Pictures

Plot Synopsis: ‘Smile 2’ (2024)

Naomi Scott stars in Paramount Pictures Presents A Temple Hill Production A Parker Finn FIlm "SMILE 2" ● Photo Credit: © 2024 Paramount Pictures

The film begins only six days after the suicide of Dr. Rose Cotter. Joel, the police officer from the first film, attempts to rid himself of the Smile entity by passing it off to a group of criminals at their local crime syndicate. Joel engages in a shootout with the criminals, killing them both, while a man named Lewis, a local drug dealer watches on. Joel attempts to flee the crime house, but is hit by a truck, killing him instantly.

Skye Riley, a huge pop star, is in New York City preparing for her comeback tour. Skye has been struggling with substance abuse, which ultimately results in a car crash that injures her and kills her boyfriend, actor Paul Hudson. Skye is being supervised by her mother and manager Elizabeth, as well as her assistant Joshua. However, one night, Skye manages to sneak out in an attempt to procure Vicodin from her drug dealer Lewis, as she has managed to injure her back during rehearsals for her upcoming tour.

Skye arrives at Lewis’s only to find him behaving erratically, becoming paranoid that something is following him. He reports seeing things that are not there. Suddenly, Lewis is confronted by something that Skye can't see, and Lewis collapses in front of her. He awakens, but it is clear he is infected with the Smile, given to him by Joel before he died. Lewis takes a hand weight and bludgeons himself to death with it. Skye, though traumatized, instinctually wants to alert the authorities, but ultimately does not, as she does not want to be linked to Lewis, who is a well-known drug supplier, fearing her career will suffer as a result.

Director’s Featurette: 'Smile 2' ● Video Credit: Paramount Pictures

Skye eventually returns to her apartment and resumes preparation for her comeback tour, but finds herself plagued with hallucinations of smiling people while experiencing several inexplicable events. Her record label executive, a man named Darius, invites Skye to be the keynote speaker at a charity event he is hosting, and her mother and manager Eizabeth pressures Skye to partake. Skye eventually reconnects with her best friend, Gemma, though they have had a falling out and have not spoken to each other in over a year. Skye confesses what happened to Lewis to Gemma, but Gemma forces her to leave it unreported. Skye begins to have very vivid nightmares about that car crash that killed Paul.

Later, Skye begins to receive text messages from an unknown number, claiming to know the circumstances of Lewis’s death. The unknown messenger claims to believe that Skye is in danger, and warns her of upcoming tragedy. At the charity event, Skye experiences a hallucination of her dead boyfriend Paul infected with the Smile. This causes Skye to accidentally injure an elderly patron of the charity, which her record label takes notice of.

Skye eventually reaches a crescendo, and decides to contact the number that keeps harassing her. She orchestrates a meeting between the two of them at a local bar. The number reveals himself to be a man named Morris, a nurse, who’s brother was infected and killed by the Smile. He explains the rules of the Smile to Skye, claiming that killing someone is the only way to pass it onto another. Morris believes that the Smile entity is some kind of parasite that will only die without a host. Morris suggests to Skye that he kill and resuscitate her, but Skye abruptly leaves, fearing for her life.

Naomi Artistry Featurette: 'Smile 2' ● Video Credit: Paramount Pictures

Afraid, Skye begins to pack her things in an attempt to flee, but in doing so, is attacked by one of her dancers, clearly infected by the Smile, leaving Skye concussed. A flashback reveals that Paul and Skye were arguing shortly before the car crash, and Skye intentionally caused the vehicle to crash.

Later, Skye awakens in a wellness resort of some kind, where her mother is berating her for her reckless behavior, believing that she is using drugs again. Skye attempts to argue but notices that her mother is infected by the Smile. She then kills herself with a shard of glass. As Skye attempts to flee, she finds that she is the one holding the glass shard, discovering she is the one who killed her mother.

Panicking, Skye then decides to steal a gun from a security guard and escapes the wellness facility, encountering Gemma as she attempts to flee. Just as Gemma and Skye drive away, Skye reaches out to Morris who gives her a meeting location. Gemma calls Skye, reporting to have just heard her voicemail, which alerts Gemma. Gemma confesses to Skye that she never visited Skye and that the Smile entity has been pretending to be her the whole time. Skye then assumes control of the car to meet with Morris at an abandoned Pizza Hut.

Morris’s plan is to stop Skye’s heart for around eight minutes within a walk-in freezer, only to be certain that the Smile entity is gone. He leaves for a moment and Skye is attacked by the Smile, posing as herself after her car wreck. Skye attempts to kill herself to stop the Smile, but the Smile manages to overpower her and locks Skye in the freezer.

Skye manages to escape only to emerge on stage at the opening night of her comeback tour. Joshua, Darius, and Elizabeth (who is still alive) are looking on from the crowd. Skye is confronted by the Smile version of herself which suddenly bursts wide open, only to reveal the physical manifestation of the Smile entity. The entity then crawls inside of her as she collapses in front of the audience. After the entity settles into its new host, Skye gets up, Smiling, and stabs herself in the eye with a microphone, killing herself, in front of her thousands of adoring fans.

Cast Breakdown

Now, take a look at the starring cast of the film below along with their corresponding IMDB links.

Naomi Scott: “Skye Riley”

Rosemarie DeWitt: “Elizabeth Riley”

Kyle Gallner: “Joel”

Lukas Gage: “Lewis Fregoli”

Miles Gutierrez-Riley: “Joshua”

Peter Jacobson: “Morris”

Raúl Castillo: “Darius”

Dylan Gelula: “Gemma”

Ray Nicholson: “Paul Hudson”

‘Smile 2’ Movie Media Coverage

Below, find a list of media outlets that covered the release of the film.

Boxoffice Pro: Weekend Box Office: SMILE 2 Takes Down the Clown
The Wrap: ‘Smile 2’ Director Parker Finn Explains That Twisted Ending
The Hollywood Reporter: ‘Smile 2’ Filmmaker Parker Finn Talks ‘Trap’ Comparison, ‘Smile 3’ and Remaking ‘Possession’
Deadline: ‘Smile 2’ Grins Wide With $46M Global Start Amid Record-Breaking Overseas Debuts; ‘The Wild Robot’ Nears $200M WW – International Box Office
Daily Mail: Smile 2 starring Jack Nicolson's nepo baby wins horror box office showdown after he recreated infamous grin
Deadline: ‘Smile 2’ Director Says He “Totally” Cast Ray Nicholson As An Homage To ‘The Shining’
Associated Press: ‘Smile 2’ grinning to No. 1 at box office while ‘Anora’ glitters in limited release
The Hollywood Reporter: Box Office: ‘Smile 2’ Grins With $23M Opening, ‘Anora’ Jolts Awards Race Awake
Variety: ‘Smile 2’ Leads Box Office With $23 Million Debut, A24’s ‘We Live in Time’ Cracks Top Five
New York Post: ‘Smile 2’ actor looks terrifyingly like Hollywood royalty dad
The Independent: Horror fans lured into watching Smile 2 after ‘genius’ casting of Hollywood actor’s son
Entertainment Weekly: Smile 2 director cast Jack Nicholson's son in homage to The Shining: 'Looks exactly like Jack'
IGN: Smile 2 Ending Explained: Does the New Horror Movie Set Up a Smile 3?
The Ringer: ‘Terrifier 3,’ ‘Smile 2,’ and the 10 Best Horror Movies of 2024
Slash Film: The First Reactions To Smile 2 Are Here – Is The Horror Sequel Worth Your Time?
Screen Rant: Smile 2 Director Teases Plans For More Sequels After Initial Surprise Hit

Final Thoughts

If you’ve seen ‘Smile 2’, be sure to leave a comment below to let us know your thoughts! For more information about the movie, visit its official website at www.Smile.movie. Lastly, if you’re looking for more movie recaps, head over to our movie blog where we break down the latest box office movies!