Smile 2 (2024)

Smile 2 is crueler than it needs to be, and that’s both the hook and the problem. Parker Finn sends his grinning curse on tour with a pop star, a smart change of scenery. Skye Riley has had a rough few years, her mother Elizabeth manages every minute of her life, and after one bad night visiting an old high school friend, she starts seeing people who aren’t there. At one point the curse even borrows her backup dancers. Naomi Scott is tremendous, jittery and raw, and she makes Skye’s panic feel physical. Finn blurs what’s real until you stop trusting every scene. A nurse named Morris turns up with a cure plan straight out of Flatliners. By the last act it feels less like a ride and more like a punishment. Critics gave it 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it made $138 million worldwide on a reported $28M. A 7.2 because Scott is ferocious even when the movie isn’t kind. $514 says you spend your next concert watching the backup dancers instead of the singer.

What works: Naomi Scott gives a frayed, fearless lead performance, and the pop tour setting gives the curse fresh places to hide.

What doesn’t: It piles so much misery on Skye that her story starts to feel cruel instead of scary, and the cure plan is borrowed from Flatliners.

Who it’s for: Grown-up horror fans who liked the first Smile and want a bigger, louder, meaner encore.