Without a doubt, Smiles 2 is one of the most expected horror sequels for 2024, considering the big success of its previous iteration, Smile (2022), which not even frightened the audience but only thrilled them with its creepy story and visuals. The part promises to go deeper into psychological horror, which contributed to the effectiveness of the first movie. A detailed account of what one can expect from Smile 2-movie location, cast, crew, production design, budget insights, and more-is presented here.
Overview of Smile 2
| Aspect | Details |
| Film Location | Filmed in various locations in the U.S. |
| Theater Release Date | October 18, 2024 |
| OTT Release Date | December 3, 2024 |
| OTT Release Platform | Amazon Prime |
| Directed by | Parker Finn |
| Written by | Parker Finn |
| Produced by | Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Isaac Klausner, Parker Finn, Robert Salerno |
| Starring | Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Ray Nicholson, Dylan Gelula |
| Cinematography | Charlie Sarroff |
| Edited by | Elliot Greenberg |
| Music by | Cristobal Tapia de Veer |
| Production Companies | Temple Hill Entertainment, Bad Feeling |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Running Time | 127 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $28 million |
| Box Office | $137.7 million |
Film Locations
Although not located in one specific place, the team behind Smile 2 chose a variety of cities across America for shooting. In this case, however, locations were selected very much for their contribution to an ominous and atmospheric tone; from abandoned hospitals to hidden homes, many places will loom in darkness with unsettling scenes for the horrors involved.
Smile 2 Theater Release Date
Fans of the initial Smile film have big news to look forward to: the release of Smile 2 on October 18, 2024. Given the box office buster that the original turned out to be, expectations are high from this sequel as well, and the audience is anticipating yet another round of spine-chilling thrills and intense psychological horror.
Smile 2 OTT Release Date
For home streaming, Smile 2 hits Amazon Prime on December 3, 2024. This means that fans who were unable to catch the film in theatres or prefer a stream from the comfort of their home can check it out.
Cast and Crew
Directed By: Parker Finn
The writer and director of Smile 2, Parker Finn, is coming back to lead the sequel. He successfully built a gripping and unnerving narrative in the first film and continues that foundation for Smile 2 as a psychological horror film.
Written By: Parker Finn
Parker Finn returns to the writing desk for Smile 2. The feature is, thus, guaranteed to be in line with the mood of the original film. As a screenwriter, he happens to be a master of fusing psychological depth with supernatural horror.
Starring
The cast of Smile 2 includes an exciting mix of established and rising stars:
| Actor | Role |
| Naomi Scott | Skye Riley |
| Rosemarie DeWitt | Elizabeth Riley |
| Lukas Gage | Lewis |
| Miles Gutierrez-Riley | Joshua |
| Ray Nicholson | Paul Hudson |
| Dylan Gelula | Gemma |
| Raúl Castillo | Darius |
| Kyle Gallner | Joel |
Crew
| Position | Name |
| Cinematography | Charlie Sarroff |
| Edited by | Elliot Greenberg |
| Music | Cristobal Tapia de Veer |
| Production Design | Lester Cohen |
| Art Direction | Larry W. Brown |
| Set Decoration | Vanesa Furnari, Keri Lederman, Alanna Wray McDonald |
| Costume Design | Alexis Forte |
| Makeup Department | Jared Balog, Hailei Call, Valerie Carney |
Production Design and Art Direction
Visual design is going to be its greatest asset in smile 2. Lester Cohen and Art Director Larry W. Brown have worked hard in creating world by visualizing every angle of psychological horror for the spaces: from the everyday places that feel strangely unsettling to the surreal dreamlike spaces that distort line between reality and nightmare.
Set Decoration
The contribution of the set decoration team to the density of atmospheric immersion in the film is great. Vanesa Furnari, but alongside Keri Lederman and Alanna Wray McDonald, has conceived an environment of familiarity and at the same time penetrates eeriness and secrecy into almost every location.
Visual Effects and Animation
In terms of visual effects, the tradition of groundbreaking technology continues to create unnerving visuals in Smile 2. The visual effects team worked very closely with the special effects teams for a seamless integration of practical effects and CGI.
Continues the chain of extensions as seen in visual effects for Smile 2, where increasing advancements and innovations have pushed boundaries to further create disturbing imagery. The visual effects department closely collaborated with special effects teams to deliver completely seamless blending between practical effects and CGI technology.
Visual Effects Team
| Name | Role |
| Maxwell Austin | Compositor: Cadence Effects |
| Jessica Bagby | Head of Department: Rodeo FX |
| Jeremy Beadell | Visual Effects Producer: Cadence Effects |
| Robert Bock | Production Visual Effects Supervisor: Rodeo FX |
Special Effects and Monster Puppetry
As the first film’s downright frightful images, the monster puppetry and practical effects in ‘Smile 2’ were executed by masters like Alec Gillis and Garth Winkless, bringing evils out of darkest nightmares. The fruits of this nightmare on display will brace the movie with more hair-rising elements in psychological horror.
| Special Effects Position | Name |
| Alec Gillis | Monster Puppeteer |
| Garth Winkless | Monster Puppeteer |
| Zachery Teller | Animatronics |
Budget Insights
Knowing that Smile 2 was made on a budget of $28 million, we can guess that it’s a mid-budget horror film but might have the ability to pull off huge box-office earnings. The first part Smile had grossed more than $137 million all over the world and has really set high expectations for Smile 2, especially when it comes to the status quo of horror movies at the box office.
However, the movie is clearly doing far better than expected in terms of gross:X137.7 million globally. Thus, a bright future opens up for a possible Smile 3 or more spin-offs.
The Music of Smile 2
The music of Smile 2 is indeed very important because it is intended to set the mood of the film for its audience. In the context of the sequel, the score has been composed by Cristobal Tapia de Veer, a composer well-versed in penning down haunting scores for movies like The Girl With All the Gifts. An eerie such scores Tapia de Veer has built up for this sequel. Apart from this original score, the film has otherwise tracks by different artists that fully supplement and enhance a very spooky score.
Here is the list of songs from the film’s soundtrack:
| Track No. | Song Title | Artist(s) | Length |
| 1. | “Grieved You” | Tate McRae, Roy Lenzo, Amy Allen, Denzel Baptiste | 2:40 |
| 2. | “New Brain” | Alexis Kesselman, Paul Bogum, Keven Wolfsohn | 3:05 |
| 3. | “Just My Name” | Naomi Scott, Kesselman | 3:32 |
| 4. | “Blood on White Satin” | Kesselman | 2:43 |
| 5. | “Death of Me” | Scott, Kesselman | 2:46 |
| 6. | “Just My Name” (Piano Version) | Scott, Kesselman | 3:15 |
Conclusion
With a stellar cast, an intriguing plot, and great production values, Smile 2 is sure to be one of the most discussed horror movies of 2024. From psychological horror to visually charged effects or a chilling soundtrack, Smile 2 is going to give audiences something to remember. Catch it in theaters on October 18, 2024, or stream it on Amazon Prime starting December 3, 2024.
For more updates, you can follow the official Smile 2 social media accounts on platforms like Twitter and Instagram.