The month of October may only just be beginning, but it’s already looking like a good one for horror fans.Paramount’s horror originalSmilehas claimed the number one spot at the box office in its first weekend with an impressive haul.
Paramount’sSmilefollows the story of Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon), a doctor working in a psychiatric ward. When one of her patients (Caitlin Stasey) explains that she is being haunted and hunted down by a smiling entity that assumes the form of other people, Cotter is skeptical. But Cotter soon finds herself in her patient’s shoes and must find a way to fight off the supernatural entity. The film deals with themes of mental health and suicide.
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Varietynow reports thatSmilehas won the box office with a $22 million intake. For comparison, other horror releases of the year such as 20th Century Studio’sBarbarianand Sony’sThe Invitationmade $10 million and $7 million in their debut weekends, thoughThe Invitationwon one of the worstbox office weekends of the year.Smile, which was originally slated for a streaming release, has managed to recoup its initial budget of $17 million in its first weekend.
Chris Aronson, Paramount’s distribution chief, is quoted as saying, “It’s honestly sensational. I don’t like to use hyperbole, but this exceeded our wildest expectations.”Smile’s performance has been outstanding throughout its production. Its early performance during its first screenings is what led it to receive a theatrical release, and viral stunts such as the studio hiring creepy actors tosmile for the camera during baseball gameshave resulted in the film having an aura of mystery about it. Audiences obviously responded well to such developments.
Smile’s success is a good sign of things to come in October.Halloween Endsdrops in just two weeks, and withSmileleading the way, it seems as though the horror genre is ready to take its place as the reigning ruler of October. Horror aficionados will definitely want tocheck outSmilein the meantime, which reportedly has plenty of psychological scares to go around.
Smilealso marks an interesting development and possibleshift within the horror genre. Where previously, the horror genre has portrayed those with mental health issues as villains for the heroes to overcome, inSmile, it’s an internal struggle as the monster seeks to weaponize the trauma of vulnerable people. It’s an interesting commentary to make those with mental illnesses the victim this time around, rather than the villain.
