The original Smile from 2022 holds an 80% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, placing it squarely in “Certified Fresh” territory. This respectable rating reflects critical consensus that the film delivers on its premise as a psychological horror film with genuine scares and meaningful thematic depth.
The score indicates that while Smile isn’t universally beloved, the majority of professional critics found it worthy of recommendation.
- Table of Contents
- Understanding the Rotten Tomatoes Score for the Original Smile Film
- How Smile 2 Compares to the Original on Rotten Tomatoes
- What the Critics' Score Actually Means
- Using Rotten Tomatoes to Decide If Smile Is Worth Watching
- Limitations of Relying Solely on Rotten Tomatoes Ratings
- Audience vs. Critics Scores
- The Evolution of Horror Film Reception on Rotten Tomatoes
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
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What makes this score particularly interesting is how Smile 2, released in 2024, actually improved upon it. The sequel scored between 79% and 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, with most reports suggesting it surpassed the original’s critical reception.
This reversal of the typical sequel decline shows that Parker’s horror vision resonated even more strongly the second time around, a rare achievement in the horror genre where sequels often drop significantly in critical favor.
Table of Contents
- Understanding the Rotten Tomatoes Score for the Original Smile Film
- How Smile 2 Compares to the Original on Rotten Tomatoes
- What the Critics’ Score Actually Means
- Using Rotten Tomatoes to Decide If Smile Is Worth Watching
- Limitations of Relying Solely on Rotten Tomatoes Ratings
- Audience vs. Critics Scores
- The Evolution of Horror Film Reception on Rotten Tomatoes
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
Understanding the Rotten Tomatoes Score for the Original Smile Film
The 80% Tomatometer score for the 2022 smile reflects a straightforward metric: approximately 80% of the critics who reviewed the film for rotten Tomatoes gave it a positive rating.
This differs from an average score—it’s essentially a tally of thumbs-up versus thumbs-down verdicts from accredited critics. A critic’s positive review might be a 7/10 or a 9/10, but both count equally in the percentage calculation, which is important context when interpreting what the score actually means.
For comparison, this 80% places Smile well above many horror films that struggle in the 40-60% range.
The Conjuring films, for instance, sit around 86% and 80%, making Smile competitive with the most respected modern horror franchises. When A Quiet Place Part II scored 91% and A Quiet Place (the original) hit 95%, Smile’s 80% positioned it firmly in the upper tier of contemporary horror rather than as an outlier.
The critical consensus highlighted Parker’s directorial control, the film’s ability to sustain tension, and its psychological approach to body horror. Not every critic loved it equally—some found the premise repetitive, while others questioned whether the twist ultimately justified the setup. Yet enough professionals deemed it worth watching that the “Certified Fresh” designation applied.
How Smile 2 Compares to the Original on Rotten Tomatoes
Smile 2’s performance between 79% and 82% on Rotten Tomatoes marks a notable achievement for a horror sequel.
Most sequels experience a 10-20% drop in critical score compared to their predecessors; the original alien sits at 98%, while Aliens hit 98% as well, and yet many beloved franchises see steeper declines from first to second entry.
Smile 2 bucking this trend suggests the critics found something in the sequel worth defending beyond nostalgia. The slight variations in reported scores (79% versus 82%) reflect the nature of Rotten Tomatoes in real-time: as new reviews are submitted and aggregated, percentage points can shift.
By October 2024, consensus had solidified that Smile 2 met or exceeded the original’s critical standing. This consistency—both films hovering near 80%—suggests Parker’s vision remained coherent rather than diluted across two films. However, there’s an important limitation here: the higher Smile 2 score doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a “better” film in any objective sense.
Critical consensus shifts based on what reviewers expect from a sequel versus an original, how the broader conversation around horror has evolved, and whether the second film surprises critics in ways a debut cannot.
The similar percentages indicate both films were received as competent entries in Parker’s horror world, not that one definitively outperforms the other.
What the Critics’ Score Actually Means
Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer is fundamentally a binary calculation: critics either recommend a film or they don’t. An 80% score means roughly four out of every five critics gave it a positive review, but it tells you nothing about the margin of recommendation.
A critic giving a film a 7/10—a qualified thumbs-up—registers the same way as one giving it a 9.5/10, which creates a blind spot in understanding critical nuance. For Smile specifically, this means the 80% captures that clear majority support existed, but some reviewers likely had reservations.
The film’s premise—a curse that makes you see a smiling figure before your death—isn’t universally considered a novel concept, and some critics found the exploration of trauma through this lens somewhat surface-level.
Yet even those with reservations often acknowledged the technical craft and the skill with which Parker executed his vision. That qualified support still registers as a positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The platform also includes an “audience Score” separate from the critics’ Tomatometer, which typically shows what general moviegoers thought. Smile’s audience reception often tracks similarly to critical consensus, though sometimes diverges significantly.
Audiences sometimes embrace horror films that critics dismiss, and vice versa, so comparing the two scores provides a fuller picture of a film’s reception than the critics’ score alone.
Using Rotten Tomatoes to Decide If Smile Is Worth Watching
An 80% Rotten Tomatoes score provides useful information but shouldn’t be treated as the final word on whether you’ll enjoy Smile. The percentage tells you that critics generally found it competent and worthy of recommendation, but nothing about whether its specific brand of horror appeals to you.
If you’re sensitive to body horror, jump scares, or psychological dread, the score doesn’t warn you about those elements. A practical approach involves reading a few representative reviews alongside the score. You might find that critics praised the film’s atmosphere while noting its pacing dragged in the second act.
Or you might discover that negative reviews centered on the ending, while positive ones praised the third act payoff. A score of 80% without that context leaves you without important information about potential dealbreakers. Rotten Tomatoes now includes review snippets, which let you sample critical language quickly.
If you’re choosing between Smile and another horror film with a different Rotten Tomatoes score, the gap matters most when it’s significant (below 60% suggests serious critical problems, above 85% suggests strong endorsement).
The difference between 80% and 82% is noise, reflecting the particular critics who happened to review the films rather than meaningful quality gaps.
Limitations of Relying Solely on Rotten Tomatoes Ratings
One critical limitation: Rotten Tomatoes’ review pool skews toward critics with major outlets, whose tastes don’t necessarily align with independent reviewers or genre enthusiasts. A film’s Tomatometer score can miss perspectives that matter within the horror community specifically.
Some critics who deeply understand body horror or psychological horror might have different takes than general entertainment critics. Another warning worth noting is that review aggregation inherently loses information. Smile’s 80% represents dozens of individual reviews collapsed into a single number.
Some critics might give it a 10/10 for originality but note that fans of jump-scare horror should look elsewhere. Others might give it a 6/10 while acknowledging it’s technically proficient but narratively hollow. The percentage strips away those distinctions, presenting a false sense of uniformity.
You might discover upon reading reviews that the critics you usually agree with were distributed across both the positive and negative side of Smile’s score. Additionally, scores can shift over time as new reviews are added months after a film’s release, and Rotten Tomatoes has made algorithmic changes to how scores are calculated.
Smile’s final percentage might differ slightly from what it showed during opening weekend, so context matters regarding when you’re checking the score.
Audience vs. Critics Scores
While the critics’ Tomatometer for Smile sits at 80%, the Audience Score—calculated from viewer ratings on the site—often tells a slightly different story. Audience scores for horror films frequently diverge from critical consensus because general audiences and professional critics value different elements.
Critics might praise Smile’s restraint and atmosphere, while audiences sometimes crave more explicit scares or faster pacing.
For comparison, The Conjuring holds an 86% critics’ score but a 91% audience score—audiences loved it more than critics. In other cases, the pattern reverses. Checking both the critics’ and audience scores gives you a fuller picture of whether Smile appealed broadly or resonated primarily with critical sensibilities.
The Evolution of Horror Film Reception on Rotten Tomatoes
Smile’s 80% score reflects a particular moment in how horror films are critically evaluated. Over the past decade, prestige horror—films like Hereditary (96%), A Quiet Place (95%), and It Comes At Night (88%)—has earned critical respect that seemed unlikely fifteen years ago.
Horror was often dismissed as disposable entertainment, but the critical consensus has shifted toward recognizing skilled horror filmmaking.
Smile’s 80% places it in an interesting position: respected but not canonical. It’s accepted as competent work in a genre that’s increasingly appreciated, but it hasn’t achieved the near-universal acclaim of the very best recent horror films.
Whether this reflects something true about Smile’s quality or simply the randomness of critical response remains an open question, but it’s worth noting that horror seems to be receiving more serious critical attention than ever, which likely affected how Smile was received and scored.
Conclusion
The Rotten Tomatoes score for Smile is 80% for the 2022 original, placing it in the respectable tier of modern horror films with critical consensus support. The sequel improved slightly, scoring between 79% and 82%, which represents a rare achievement for a horror sequel.
These scores indicate that critics found both films to be competent, well-executed horror with merit, though not universally beloved. Using Rotten Tomatoes scores as a decision tool works best when combined with reading actual reviews to understand what critics specifically liked or disliked.
The 80% tells you Smile found approval from most critics, but only by reading those reviews can you determine whether the film’s approach to horror matches your preferences and tolerance for specific elements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an 80% Rotten Tomatoes score considered good?
Yes. A score above 75% on Rotten Tomatoes generally indicates critical consensus support. For context, anything below 60% suggests significant critical problems, while 80%+ represents films that most critics found worth recommending. Smile sits comfortably in the “good” range.
Did Smile 2 score higher than Smile on Rotten Tomatoes?
Yes, Smile 2 scored between 79% and 82%, which matches or slightly exceeds the original’s 80%. This is unusual for horror sequels, which typically decline significantly in critical reception.
How does Smile’s score compare to other horror films?
Smile’s 80% places it among the better-received modern horror films. The Conjuring sits at 86%, Hereditary at 96%, and A Quiet Place at 95%, so Smile scores respectably though below the very top tier of recent horror.
Should I watch Smile based on its Rotten Tomatoes score?
The score indicates critical consensus, but individual taste matters. An 80% Tomatometer means approximately four out of five critics recommended it, which is a positive sign, but you should read reviews to understand if the film’s specific approach appeals to you.
What does the Audience Score for Smile look like?
The Audience Score typically shows separately from the critics’ score. Audiences sometimes rate horror films differently than critics, so checking both provides a fuller picture of the film’s reception.
Can Rotten Tomatoes scores change over time?
Yes. Scores can shift as new reviews are added months after release, and the platform has made algorithmic changes historically. Smile’s final percentage may differ slightly from opening weekend scores.
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