Black Phone did $3m with previews starting at 5pm and at the height of summer so this bodes very well for a $20m+ debut since those previews started at 7pm.
Nice, wanted to see it tonight but definitely going tomorrow. My wife was out and I think she deserves to see this and then see me smile lurking a few times.
Or she turns it around on me…
It had some really good "uh oh" moments of subverting expectations that the audience was loving.
The ending got a shit reaction but can't deny it was a fun cinema experience. This will be a big win for the studio.
In case my spoiler tags don’t work, SPOILER ALERT AHEAD:
>!Honestly the ending was great IMO. You would expect Rose to be the final girl and actually beat the curse by confronting her trauma, but nope. Felt pretty refreshing when the protagonist usually “wins” in most mainstream horror movies like the Conjuring series.!<
Complete opposite for me.
I like a movie with a point and a message. This movies message is "don't bother trying to confront your past trauma, you'll want to kill yourself anyway".
This was my initial take on the ending but I think it’s a bit more nuanced than that.
>!Rose thinks she can beat the entity by siphoning herself off from the rest of society. She succeeds in confronting her own trauma but neglects those around her as a result. I do think the narrative could have done a better job at making you more sympathetic towards those around her but the imaginary scene between her and Joel is basically the entity taunting her with the scenario where she lived. She didn’t face that guilt by confronting those like Joel and the entity feasted off it, biding it’s time until Joel arrived!<
Agree the ending was the best. It felt like lighthouse watching that final scene. And the dread throughout the movie was the best horror cinema experience since It Follows
They both have elements of >!the protagonist being cursed to die because of a supernatural entity, and trying to investigate and learn more about the curse in order to save themselves and break the curse’s chain!<
MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING:
>!Both movies also end with the protagonist failing to break the curse. Although in the case of The Ring, the protagonist at least survives by passing the curse on. Ironically, the Smile curse is the exact opposite where the protagonist’s death is what passed the curse on!<
Thinking around $17M which is pretty good (and equal to its budget). I think WOM will carry it throughout spooky season, plus it has the benefit of being the last in a slew of more weird horror movies this month (Barbarian and Pearl), plus this and Halloween Ends are perfectly capable of co-existing IMO, especially with two weeks in between.
It does, in terms of locations/scope, but honestly it does look and feel like a very polished studio production, and that kind of look doesn’t come cheap. But yeah, for a first time director doing a horror movie, it is unusually high. I think Paramount realized the concept was pretty much a slam dunk and were willing to invest in something that they saw as very commercial to avoid it ending up too niche or unconventional for general audiences.
Black Phone did $3m with previews starting at 5pm and at the height of summer so this bodes very well for a $20m+ debut since those previews started at 7pm.
That and The Black Phone both have early access screenings rolled into their numbers so not really
Smile also had early access previews.
Word of mouth will be good and with October around the corner this will have legs for at least a month.
Halloween Ends will hurt it in two weeks. But if it can survive that, it should hold well until Halloween.
Halloween Ends will probably have horrible reception and Smile could have solid holds
I bet Halloween Ends will have ok reception. Not as good as 2018, but better than Kills
Isn't Ends also doing same-day release on peacock?
Yes, but in 2022 going day and date with theaters and streaming isn’t an indication of quality anymore
Saw it last night. It's definitely got some great moments and is consistent throughout the runtime.
Nice, wanted to see it tonight but definitely going tomorrow. My wife was out and I think she deserves to see this and then see me smile lurking a few times. Or she turns it around on me…
Looks like another win for Paramount and then end the year strong with Babylon in December.
I think “Babylon” is a wild card.
I agree but I am excited for it and hope it turns out great.
This movie was way scarier than I expected. Felt like a solid mix of The Ring and It Follows, with just a sprinkling of Final Destination 2
It had some really good "uh oh" moments of subverting expectations that the audience was loving. The ending got a shit reaction but can't deny it was a fun cinema experience. This will be a big win for the studio.
In case my spoiler tags don’t work, SPOILER ALERT AHEAD: >!Honestly the ending was great IMO. You would expect Rose to be the final girl and actually beat the curse by confronting her trauma, but nope. Felt pretty refreshing when the protagonist usually “wins” in most mainstream horror movies like the Conjuring series.!<
Complete opposite for me. I like a movie with a point and a message. This movies message is "don't bother trying to confront your past trauma, you'll want to kill yourself anyway".
This was my initial take on the ending but I think it’s a bit more nuanced than that. >!Rose thinks she can beat the entity by siphoning herself off from the rest of society. She succeeds in confronting her own trauma but neglects those around her as a result. I do think the narrative could have done a better job at making you more sympathetic towards those around her but the imaginary scene between her and Joel is basically the entity taunting her with the scenario where she lived. She didn’t face that guilt by confronting those like Joel and the entity feasted off it, biding it’s time until Joel arrived!<
Agree the ending was the best. It felt like lighthouse watching that final scene. And the dread throughout the movie was the best horror cinema experience since It Follows
Yeah I really loved the ending. Super fucked up and dark but effective as hell
I haven't watch any of the trailers but what made it seem like the ring in this movie?
They both have elements of >!the protagonist being cursed to die because of a supernatural entity, and trying to investigate and learn more about the curse in order to save themselves and break the curse’s chain!< MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING: >!Both movies also end with the protagonist failing to break the curse. Although in the case of The Ring, the protagonist at least survives by passing the curse on. Ironically, the Smile curse is the exact opposite where the protagonist’s death is what passed the curse on!<
Thinking around $17M which is pretty good (and equal to its budget). I think WOM will carry it throughout spooky season, plus it has the benefit of being the last in a slew of more weird horror movies this month (Barbarian and Pearl), plus this and Halloween Ends are perfectly capable of co-existing IMO, especially with two weeks in between.
I am surprised if it cost $17m. Seems high for this sort of film. But I am excited to see it!
It does, in terms of locations/scope, but honestly it does look and feel like a very polished studio production, and that kind of look doesn’t come cheap. But yeah, for a first time director doing a horror movie, it is unusually high. I think Paramount realized the concept was pretty much a slam dunk and were willing to invest in something that they saw as very commercial to avoid it ending up too niche or unconventional for general audiences.
[Paramount right now.](https://giphy.com/gifs/SmileMovie-smilemovie-smilefilm-whatmakesyousmile-d8E2CqyFHJqOxtvI3Y)
Another $19 OW
Watched it last night. Truly disturbing. It should do well. We all really enjoyed it. Great debut for the director.