Apparent actors conducting viral marketing for ‘Smile 2’ in Los Angeles on Oct. 14, 2024. Photo:
MLBONFOX/X
An apparent viral marketing stunt for ‘Smile 2’ featured two people wearing demonic-looking smiles on their faces at an MLB playoff game on Oct. 14
There’s no escaping the creepy smiles from the Smile franchise.
Before the new horror sequel Smile 2 scares its way into theaters, people sporting haunting grimaces are popping up at Major League Baseball games to seemingly promote the film.
On Monday, Oct. 14, two people sat behind home plate at a playoff game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets in L.A., as Fox Sports shared on X. Both wore neon green shirts as they maintained the disturbing smiles made famous in the 2022 horror movie. “That’s fine, I wasn’t planning to sleep tonight anyway,” the sports network wrote in a caption to its post showcasing the smiles.
As ESPN captured in a video shared on TikTok, one of the two was seen breaking character when a foul ball flew behind home plate during the game. The other remained smiling throughout. “She didn’t even flinch,” ESPN captioned the video.
Prior to the original movie’s release in 2022, actors wearing similar shirts and creepy smiles on their faces appeared at a number of MLB games.
“It was happening just organically and it was overwhelming how much that took off,” the movie’s director Parker Finn told Entertainment Weekly of the viral stunt at the time. “It was just instantly everywhere. Kudos for them for their terrific idea.”
The first Smile movie followed a psychiatrist portrayed by Sosie Bacon, who grows haunted by visions of people sporting creepy smiles after witnessing one of her patients die by suicide. The new sequel features Kyle Gallner reprising his role from the first movie, while Naomi Scott, Lukas Gage, Rosemarie DeWitt, Dylan Gelula and Raúl Castillo costar in a movie that tackles new characters and storylines.
Smile 2 poster.
Paramount Pictures
“About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley (Scott) begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events,” reads an official synopsis for the movie. “Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.”
Smile 2 smirks its way into theaters Oct. 18.
