Smile 2 ending spoilers: Does Skye pass on the curse?
The sequel has proved to be another box office hit.
**WARNING: Contains spoilers for Smile 2**
Just like the first film, horror sequel Smile 2 has proved a hit with audiences – soaring to the top of the box office after arriving in cinemas in October 2024.
The film is once again concerned with the brutal curse that was introduced in the original, which sees the inflicted person possessed by an evil entity and suffer all sorts of drastic hallucinations before eventually killing themselves in front of a witness – who then becomes the next victim.
After a brief opening sequence which picks up where the previous film left off, Smile 2 mainly focuses on recovering pop superstar Skye Riley (Naomi Riley) who ends up being passed the curse after a particularly bloody scene while visiting her drug dealer (Lukas Gage).
Before too long Skye is suffering terribly from the curse, which apart from anything else isn't great news for the beginning of her imminent global concert tour.
Seen the film and need a recap of the closing moments and what it means for the future of the franchise? Read on to have the Smile ending explained.
Smile 2 ending explained: Does Skye pass on the curse?
For a while it looks like Skye might have found a way to vanquish the curse – thanks to the efforts of a nurse named Morris (Peter Jacobson). Earlier, he had tracked her down and suggested that stopping her heart and then resuscitating her will likely kill the entity, as it cannot continue to survive without a host.
Skye initially seemed very reluctant to go ahead with this procedure, but when things continue to spiral out of control – culminating in her fatally stabbing her mother (Rosemarie DeWitt) after an argument at the wellness retreat she's been checked into – she escapes and steals a car, driving it to the abandoned Pizza Hut Morris had told her to meet at. (The journey itself is not without its difficulties, thanks to the entity impersonating her best friend Gemma – played by Dylan Gelula – and attempting to sabotage things).
At the Pizza Hut, Skye follows Morris's instructions to step into a walk-in freezer where she is to inject herself with the syringe that will stop her heart. She is able to apply the syringe despite the entity doing its best to stop her... but it's no good. The entity reveals she is still hallucinating and the next thing we know Skye has woken up on stage at Madison Square Garden, where she is about to perform the first show of her tour.
Looking out at the audience, it's revealed that her mother is actually still alive, and therefore everything that had happened in recent days had all been a hallucination. More dramatic still, the entity now takes its true shape and possesses Skye completely, causing her to finally succumb to the curse and end her life.
And the worst thing about this? The incident was playing out on the big screens around the arena, meaning that thousands of spectators were watching. Given what we know about how the curse works and spreads, that's certainly not great news.
"It felt like the most horrifying thing I could possibly do was have her on stage, finally taken over by the Smile in front of 20,000 screaming fans," director Parker Finn said of the ending in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly.
"There's a question of, is it being live-streamed? How big could it go? It felt intoxicating to me. I loved this feeling and power of the Smile, and this idea of the commentary on celebrity platform and influence on the public. She's potentially passing this on, and the idea of, because of her platform and celebrity, how many people that can reach."
So if we get a Smile 3, it looks like everything will be happening on an even bigger scale...
Sarah Parish, Mandip Gill and Alexandra Burke star in the gripping drama – and for a limited time, you can watch episode 1 on our website.
Smile 2 is now showing in UK cinemas. Smile is now streaming on Netflix – sign up from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
