Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Smile 2!

Smile 2 director Parker Finn teases his ideas for how a sequel could continue the series. Finn wrote and helmed both 2022's Smile and this year's follow-up movie Smile 2. Smile 2 continues the story by chronicling the tale of Skye Riley and how she experiences a series of mystical events that grow in severity and scariness. Smile 2 features a leading cast including Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Ray Nicholson, and Dylan Gelula. It was released in theaters on October 18.

In an interview with Collider, Finn discusses his ideas for the future of the Smile series. The director teased that there "are a lot of interesting roads that any future Smile could go down." Specifically, Finn would want to explore "all the really frightening things of the big concept of Smile and the Smiler." This tease implies that Smile 3 or beyond could be even scarier than the first two films, or at the very least delve further into the world. Check out the full quote from Finn below:

Well, I will say this, I think there are a lot of interesting roads that any future Smile could go down. For me, I love all the stuff that goes bump in the night, and all the really frightening things of the big concept of Smile and the Smiler.

What This Means For The Future Of The Smile Movies

Smile 2 Sets Up A Third Film

So far, Smile 2 has done well upon its release to theaters earlier this month. At the time of writing, the sequel has earned over $84 million worldwide, and that total is still growing. The first Smile film also made $217 million, so the series has had a good streak. Smile 2's reviews have also been positive, with the movie getting an 84% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes. These results already indicate likely success for a potential Smile 3, even though it has not been announced.

Finn's statement makes the possibility of Smile 3 even more hopeful. Though Smile 2's ending revealed that most of the film's events were inside Skye's head, the movie did show the power of the Entity. This could be explored further in Smile 3, and from the sounds of Finn's statement, he would have ideas on how to do so.

Our Take On The Smile Franchise's Future

Smile Could Ride A Successful Horror Trend

Between Smile 2's box office and critical success and Finn's continued ideas, it seems that Smile 3 is almost inevitable at this point. The sequel would come at a good time for horror if it is to happen. Just this year, another horror threequel, Terrifier 3, did extremely well in theaters upon its release. The success of films like these is a good sign for other original horror franchises like Smile.

Source: Collider