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Smile! The horror box office hit of the fall is coming to spook you on the small screen soon. Smile 2, the pop star-centric sequel to Parker Finn’s 2022 feature, is one of the rare film follow-ups to outshine the original. Charlie’s Angels actress Naomi Scott stars as the film’s lead, a pop megastar named Skye Riley. The cast also features Rosemarie DeWitt, Kyle Gallner, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Raúl Castillo, Dylan Gelula, and Ray Nicholson.
Whether you skipped the theater or want to watch it again, Smile 2 is available to watch at home beginning Nov. 19. Here’s everything you need to know.
What is Smile 2 about?
Taking place just days after the original left off, the film follows international pop star Skye Riley (Scott), who is working toward a career comeback a year after a devastating crash that killed her boyfriend. Though she’s been sober since the crash, the emotional and physical pressure of the tour leads her to seek out an old drug dealer acquaintance Lewis (Gage) for painkillers. Unfortunately, she gets a bit more than she bargained for, as Lewis has been infected by the Smile curse and passes it to Skye. What follows is an “unpredictable narrative that’s full of jump scares, creepy imagery, and spine-tingling sound effects,” and of course, a bunch of eerie smiling people.
Here’s the full trailer:
Is Smile 2 worth watching?
Still in select theaters nationwide, Smile 2 has been a surprising box office hit. Against a $28 million production budget, the film has grossed an exceptional $125 million worldwide. What’s more, $23 million of that came from its opening weekend. Even more impressive, critics and fans alike are loving it more than the original — a very rare feat for a sequel. Smile 2 currently holds an 85 percent critic rating and 81 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while the original Smile holds 79 percent and 77 percent, respectively.
Mashable reviewer Monica Catillo called it “even more fun and gory this time around” in her review. “It’s not often that a sequel exceeds its original, but Smile 2 delivers the thrills and chills of its predecessor with an even more pronounced funhouse feel.”
Read our full review of Smile 2.
How to watch Smile 2 at home
Credit: Paramount Pictures
Just a month after Smile 2 dominated the box office, it’s set to make its at-home debut on video-on-demand sites like Prime Video and Apple TV+. You can now purchase the film for your own digital library. A rental option will also be available eventually. If you’d rather stream the Smile sequel, keep reading to learn more.
As of Nov. 19, you can purchase the film at the following retailers:
Is Smile 2 streaming?
Smile 2‘s first stop in the home entertainment market will be digital on demand. If you don’t want to pay $24.99 for the film, however, it will be making its streaming debut at a later date. Since it’s a Paramount Pictures film, like the original, it’ll be joining the Paramount+ library. While there’s no official streaming date yet, we can make an educated guess based on the timeline of other Paramount Pictures films and expect to see Smile 2 hit the streaming circuit in mid-to-late December.
For reference, Paramount Pictures’ A Quiet Place: Day One opened in theaters June 28, made its digital-on-demand debut on Aug. 2, and hit Paramount+ on Aug. 27.
If you want to prepare for the film’s arrival, you can sign up for a Paramount+ subscription starting at $7.99 per month. There are also a few ways you can save some money on a subscription. Check out the best Paramount+ streaming deals below.
Mashable Deals
The best Paramount+ streaming deals (to watch later)
Most affordable: Get a free 7-day trial, then $7.99/month
Want to spend the least amount of money possible to watch Smile 2? Your best bet is to wait for the official streaming release and sign up for a month of Paramount+ Essential for just $7.99. If you’re new to the streamer, you’ll get a seven-day trial, which will allow you to watch it for free. After you watch, just be sure to cancel your subscription if you want to avoid the monthly charge. You’ll have to watch some ads throughout the movie, but just think of them as built-in bathroom breaks.
Best long-term deal: Save 38% on a Paramount+ Essential annual subscription
If you opt for the annual plan instead of the monthly plan, you can save 38% on your subscription. You’ll have to pay more upfront, but it pays off in the grand scheme of your streaming lineup. An annual Paramount+ Essential plan will run you $59.99 per year, which breaks down to only $5 per month as opposed to $7.99 per month. That’s basically like getting 12 months for less than the price of eight. If you want to watch more than just Smile 2 and ads aren’t a dealbreaker, this is your best bet.
Best deal for no ads: Save 23% on a Paramount+ with Showtime annual subscription
If ads are a deal breaker for you, you’ll have to sign up for the ad-free tier: Paramount+ with Showtime. This will run you either $12.99 per month or $119.99 per year (which breaks down to just $10 per month). Plus, if you’re new to the streamer, you can also take advantage of that seven-day trial. Beyond just giving you access to ad-free Paramount+ content, the extra cost also unlocks access to Showtime originals and movies (like Yellowjackets and The Curse), live TV with CBS, and college football. Although you’ll have to pay more, it’s definitely a whole lot of bang for your buck.
Best deal for students: Save 25% on Paramount+ Essential
College students can score a Paramount+ Essential monthly subscription for just $4.50 per month, so long as they can verify their student status using SheerID. Once verified, student discounts are valid for four years, even if you graduate prior to the four-year period. After four years, you’ll be charged the standard rate for an Essential monthly subscription.
Best third-party deal: Get Paramount+ for free with a Walmart+ membership
It may not be the simplest way to watch Smile 2, but a Walmart+ membership gives you free access to Paramount+ and plenty of other sweet benefits. Better yet, you can kick things off with a free 30-day trial, so you can enjoy an entire month of streaming without paying a cent. Just be sure to cancel before your trial ends if you want to avoid charges. If you want to keep your Walmart+ membership going, it’ll cost you either $12.95 per month or $98 per year ($8.17/month).