‘Smile’ Scares ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ Out of Top Spot With $8.2 Million at Friday Box Office

It’s been a great year for original films — last weekend’s box office chart was dominated by non-IP titles — but it has also been a terrific year for horror movies. After the success of the word-of-mouth hit Barbarian, it’s time for Paramount’s Smile to stake its claim at the top spot of the box office. The film made $8.2 million on Friday, including $2 million from Thursday previews, on its way to an estimated $19 million opening weekend.

Like Barbarian — the rare 20th Century Studios film that was given a theatrical release in the post-Disney takeover era — Smile was expected to debut on streaming, before positive buzz prompted Paramount to take its chances in what has been a notoriously dull post-summer theatrical marketplace. Smile scored a so-so B- CinemaScore from opening day audience — par for the course for a horror title, actually — and is attracting a younger demographic. Collider’s own Alyse Wax called it “an enjoyable, scary ride that is well-plotted and acted” in her review.

The studio used inventive marketing techniques to generate publicity for the film, which included purchasing seats at MLB games and strategically positioning maniacally smiling actors in the camera’s view. The picture is directed by Parker Finn, and stars Sosie Bacon, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Caitlin Stasey, Kal Penn and Rob Morgan.

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Last week’s number one film, Don’t Worry Darling, is expected to slip to number two with an estimated $7.2 million second weekend, which is probably something that Warner Bros. should be worried about. Budgeted at $35 million, director Olivia Wilde’s mid to poorly reviewed psychological thriller has now made a little over $33 million domestically. But the estimated 62% weekend-to-weekend drop certainly doesn’t bode well for its future.

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s well-reviewed historical drama, The Woman King, is expected to take the third spot this weekend, with an estimated $6.4 million. The $50 million film’s running domestic total now stands at over $45 million. Universal’s romantic comedy, Bros, opened at the fourth spot with an estimated $4.75 million. Described as the “first gay romantic comedy from a major studio featuring an entirely LGBTQ principal cast,” the Billy Eichner-starrer will probably have to rely on solid reviews for solace. The top five was rounded out this weekend by India’s Tamil language historical epic Ponniyin Selvan: I, which made $2.1 million on Friday from 500 locations. The film is expected to make $4.1 million in its opening weekend, following in the footsteps of the Telugu language hit RRR earlier this year.

Overall business this weekend is expected to be around $61 million, which is slightly down from the last weekend, and significantly off from the same weekend in pre-pandemic 2019 ($94.5 minion). Next weekend sees the release of David O. Russell’s star-studded (but dully received) period caper Amsterdam. You can watch our interview with Smile director Finn below, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.