Smile: To Franchise Or Not To Franchise?

Last Updated on November 1, 2024

We live in an era where film studios are scared to produce original content due to perceived risk. With marketing budgets ballooning, and with new content being thrown at viewers at a rampant pace, cutting through the noise has never been more important. So the question is always: what horror movie will be franchised next? And the easy answer tends to be the latest horror success. Terrifier (despite what its creator claims) will surely go on for many more entries as it’s hard to cut off that supply of money while the fans demand it. But what other newer series could become a franchise? All signs point to Parker Finn’s Smile.

And I suppose the argument could be made that Paramount already made the decision to franchise Smile after the first. We did get a second entry after all. But as someone from a bygone era, I’m a skeptic and wouldn’t be shocked to see it end at a trilogy. Smile 2 made slightly more than the first film in its opening weekend and has gotten pretty great reviews (including one from our own Chris Bumbray). The lore of the world has been expanded even further, and the next entry has been set up expertly. But the big question that comes up with this, or any movie that finds success: should this be franchised or should it remain a small group of films? Well money certainly seems to dictate most things in life, so I think we know the answer.

Paramount had a pretty lowkey 2024, with Transformers One, despite its great reviews, absolutely bombing at the box office. Even IF, which brought in $190m didn’t end up turning much of a profit due to its massive budget and marketing budget. And in these tough times, it can be easy to look at their catalogue of horror films, and see what can be produced for cheap. The last time they saw this kind of success in the genre was with the Paranormal Activity franchise which they milked till the teat was dry (2007-2021). Another franchise they have in their catalogue, Pet Sematary, had its latest entry Bloodlines sitting on the shelf for ages until finally releasing with a whimper on Paramount Plus. And despite its success, Smile is in a pretty weird place.

At this point, the first two Smile films have a reputation for some very generic trailers that result in some great movies. The first Smile was such a massive surprise that it was originally going to go directly to Streaming but after positive test screenings, Paramount gave it a theatrical release. Which was a smart move as it ended up being one of their biggest hits of 2022. But the Smile films still have a certain reputation. Whenever I try and get people to watch them, I’m usually met with a “What? The people smiling? That looks stupid.” Sure, most tend to come around when they actually see the film, but that’s still a massive barrier when trying to make money with your film. Bad trailers are a death knell.

Paramount hasn’t really had that horror franchise that they can cheaply produce and get a big return on their investment in a bit. Sure, they had success with A Quiet Place in 2018, but with its awards recognition, they just threw a ton of money at the sequel. So the budget went from $17 Million to over $61 Million. Its latest spinoff Day One was even more expensive at $67 Million, yet it brought in the lowest amount in the series. These are not cheap to produce films that then turn a massive profit like most quick-turnover horror. You need the talent behind them, and the story needs to be well thought out. You can’t just put out schlock and expect to fill seats with these films. So Paramount needs a cheap horror franchise that can be released regularly. These profitable horror films can really make a difference in the company’s bottom line, especially in this era of tentpole bombs. But is Smile that series?

With the first two Smile films having relatively low budgets at $17m and $28m, Smile is trending in a similar direction to A Quiet Place. And like, those films, these require a certain level of quality control. Despite what the trailers may have you believe, the Smile films are extremely well thought out and absurdly creative. The right filmmaker needs to be in place because all it takes is one bad film to tank a series that relies on creativity. Because that’s when those bad trailers truly come back to bite your franchise on the ass.

Personally, I would love it if they kept it to just two or three films. Parker Finn’s vision seems really well thought out and bringing in other creatives could easily taint that. But also, look at the Saw franchise. The first film is very different from what the rest of the series would become. It evolved into something that even the original creators could not have expected. And the argument could be made that maybe it’s time for Smile to do just that. Clearly, Parker Finn has a bright future ahead of him and doesn’t need to be bogged down by being the steward of Smile. He can go make his star-studded Possession remake and create something else, just like he did Smile.

Established properties have become more and more of a commodity, and the rare successes are too big to ignore. I think we’ll absolutely get more Smile films, whether Parker Finn is involved or not. In 2024, it’d be hard for any successful horror movie to come along and not at least invoke deep conversations about sequels. Whatever happens with Smile, I think having an open mind is important. While Smile 6 will likely be something completely different from Smile 1 or 2, that doesn’t necessarily make it a bad thing. We as an audience just need to be open to a journey. Whether we hop off at 3, 4, or even 10, will be entirely up to Paramount and if they understand what makes the first two films work.

What do you think? Will Smile be made into a massive franchise? Will it be kept at just 2 or 3 films? Let us know in the comments!