Smile 2 and Terrifier 3 are simultaneously conquering the box office. Both horror titles are sequels to successful 2022 releases, with Terrifier 3 – the latest blood-soaked outing for slasher villain Art the Clown – opening last weekend to $18.9 million, besting the entire $15.7 million run of the previous installment, which had a minuscule budget of $250,000. The Smile 2 release – which sees pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) cursed by the sinister smiling entity – has even bigger shoes to fill, as the original became the highest-grossing horror title of 2022, earning $217.4 million against its $17 million budget.
