‘Smile’ hits box office with a $22 million opening

'Smile', Paramount's new horror flick, opened to a $22 million this weekend. It also beat Universal's LGBTQ rom-com 'Bros', which is in fourth place with a $4.8 million in the box office.

"It's honestly sensational," said Chris Aronson, Paramount's distribution chief. "I don't like to use hyperbole, but this exceeded our wildest expectations."

Paramount used clever marketing tactics this week by strategically placing paid actors wearing creepy smiles, behind home-plate during televised Major League Baseball games.

Smile had only cost $17 million to produce but went 'horrifyingly' profitable since its release on 30 September.

The horror film stars Sosie Bacon as a therapist who becomes haunted by smiling hallucinations after seeing one of her patients commit suicide. The cast also includes Kyle Gallner, Kal Penn, Jessie T Usher, Caitlin Stasey, Rob Morgan and Robin Weigert.