Despite being two years old, Netflix’s Top Ten has seen a surprising resurgence from the passion project of up-and-coming director Parker Finn. Based on the short film Laura Hasn’t Slept, Finn’s feature film Smile has crept onto the Netflix rankings of many countries and even remained in the top spots for several consecutive days.
Smile stars Sosie Bacon, daughter of renowned actor Kevin Bacon (who also kickstarted his career in a horror movie), and follows Dr. Rose Cotter, a therapist who—after witnessing her patient commit suicide—begins experiencing strange and inexplicable visions. Rose comes to believe that a supernatural curse (passed on by her patient’s demise) is the sole cause of these disturbing experiences. Her investigation into the origins of the ‘curse’ lead her to discover a string of grisly suicides.
According to FlixPatrol, Smile is currently sitting at the number one spot in Finland and the number two spot in Slovenia. It is presently in the Top Ten rankings of over 20 countries, including Brazil, The Netherlands, Greece, Spain, Sweden, and Norway.
In the U.S., Millie Bobby Brown’s Damsel claims the number one spot, followed by the comedy-romance Irish Wish (in the wake of St. Patrick’s Day), the psychological thriller Alone (starring Jules Willcox), and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the latter of which celebrates its 16th week on the Top Ten chart.
On a budget of $17 million, Smile grossed approximately $217.4 million and received largely positive reviews. Many critics heaped particular praise on Bacon’s performance, as well as that of her co-star, Caitlin Stasey, who reprised her role as Laura Weaver from Laura Hasn’t Slept.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Finn claimed to have left certain parts of Smile purposely ambiguous to keep the narrative open-ended in anticipation of a potential sequel. He said, “there is still a lot of interesting stuff to explore in the world of Smile. … I’d want to make sure that there’s a new, exciting, fresh way into it that the audience isn’t anticipating. I also want to find some new ways to scare them and unnerve them.”
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The Silence of the Lambs Is Still the Only Horror Movie To Win Best Picture and That Needs To ChangeParamount Pictures announced at CinemaCon 2023 that a Smile sequel had been green-lit with Finn set to return to the director’s chair. The sequel is scheduled for release in October 2024 with Sosie Bacon being replaced by Naomi Scott.
