Paramount Pictures has updated its release calendar to add the arrival ofSmile 2, with the announcement coming almost one year after the release of the first chapter in the studio’s latest horror franchise.

Smilewas one of the great surprises of 2022. Directed by Parker Finn, in his directional debut, the story follows Dr. Rose Cotter, who witnesses the tragic incident involving a patient of hers. Following the terrifying event, she begins to experience strange and dark happenings , which will lead her to investigate her own past to combat the ghosts that haunt her in the present.

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The film stars Sosie Bacon as Dr. Rose Cotter, Meghan Brown Pratt as young Rose, Kyle Gallner as Joel, Caitlin Stasey as Laura Weaver, Jessie T. Usher as Trevor, Rob Morgan as Robert Talley, Kal Penn as Dr. Morgan Desai, Robin Weigert as Dr. Madeline Northcott, Judy Reyes as Victoria Munoz, Gillian Zinser as Holly, Dora Kiss as Rose’s Mother, and many more.

Updating its schedule for next year, Paramount Pictures has finally set a premiere date forSmile 2, a project that was confirmed following the hugely successful box office of Smile.Variety confirms that the sequelwill hit theaters on August 09, 2025.

The rest of the studio’s announcements included the delay of the Bob Marley biopicOne Loveto June 22, 2025. Initially, the film starring Kingsley Ben-Adir was going to arrive on January 12, but that date will now be occupied by theMean Girlsmusical, which was originally going to be released exclusively on Paramount+.

Reneé Rapp, Angourie Rice, Jaquel Spivey and Auli’i Cravalho star in this new version of the acclaimed 2004 comedy written by Tina Fey that has become a classic in the filmography of Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried.Mean Girls: The Musicalis based on the Broadway stage play, in which Rapp played Regina George.

Related:11 Scary Movies Set on Halloween, but Not Part of the Halloween Horror Franchise

Smile Was Part of a Great Year for Horror Films

It is no coincidence that Paramount Pictures has decided to build a franchise based onSmile, since the film managed to become one of the best horror releases of 2022, even though it had a lot of competition. Last year was a very good one for the genre, full of films of all kinds, with very different stories that gave horror fans a wide variety of choices to enjoy on the big screen.

In addition toSmile, some other great blockbusters includedBarbarian, Jordan Peele’sNope,Scream V, and streaming exclusives such asPreyand the reboot ofHellraiser. Other notable titles from independent production companies wereThe Innocents,Nanny,Bull, Netflix’sThe House, andXandPearl, which are part of a trilogy that willcome to an end withMaXXXine.MaXXXineis set to follow the story of the titular character, played by Mia Goth, who after surviving the events ofXmoves to Los Angeles to fulfill her dream of becoming a great actress.