2022 has cemented itself as one of the best years in decades for horror, with Smile hitting another landmark at the box office as fans continue to feel the joys of Halloween a month on.
Paramount’s big horror outing for the year has now passed $200 million at the box office, proving the appetite for fresh, new ideas in the genre is very much something people want. Based on a short film by Parker Finn who then went on to direct its feature-length version, it’s now the highest-grossing horror film of the year.
Smile’s excellent performance at the box office can be traced back to an outside-of-the-box guerrilla marketing campaign that saw people attend sporting events only to endlessly and creepily smile. Alongside the guerrilla campaign was a strong word of mouth which has fuelled it ticking on over a month from its debut.
Paramount’s CEO Brian Robbins told Variety how the film’s success hinged so heavily on its marketing campaign, as well as the overall finished product presented only in cinemas.
“Thank you to all our creative partners, director Parker Finn, the amazing cast, and our best-in-class production, marketing and distribution teams for creating a communal entertainment experience that movie-loving audiences can only find in the theaters”
Robbin’s comment on “only in cinemas” comes with particular intrigue with Smile beginning with an anti-streaming message, as some Hollywood studios remain certain about cinematic releases being the backbone of their financials. Cinemagoing has seen huge highs and lows since the pandemic broke out, with 2022 the first year where films have been unaffected by COVID.
Smile is currently in cinemas, although it originally was meant to go straight to Paramount Plus.
