Practical Magic 2 Opens at No. 1 with $30 Million Weekend Debut
Warner Bros.' Practical Magic 2 opened at the top of the North American box office this weekend, collecting $30 million from 4,146 theaters and ending Spider-Man: Brand New Day's six-week run at number one. An additional $16 million from 77 international territories brought the global opening weekend total to approximately $46 million.
A Long-Awaited Reunion
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman return as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, reprising roles they last played together in 1998. Joining them are Joey King, Maisie Williams, and Lee Pace as new additions to the Owens family circle. Directing the sequel is Susanne Bier, the Danish filmmaker whose prior credits include The Night Manager and Bird Box, working here from source material by novelist Alice Hoffman. Production costs are reported at $75 million.
The story reunites the Owens sisters as they work to break an ancestral curse tied to the family's love lives, while a younger generation of witches is drawn into the conflict for the first time. The 1998 original was defined in part by its campy, autumnal energy and the easy rapport of its two leads; the sequel adjusts that balance, leaning more heavily into family drama while preserving the central relationship.
Reviews Are Mixed, Chemistry Is Not
Critical reception has been measured. The Associated Press awarded two out of four stars, writing that the film “abandons some of the campy fun” of its predecessor but is “buoyed by the strong performances and chemistry” of its leads. That chemistry, which helped sustain the franchise’s fanbase for nearly three decades through home video, cable, and annual Halloween rewatches, remains the film’s most bankable element. Early audience reception has skewed more favorably than the critic consensus.
The Original’s Long Shadow
The 1998 Practical Magic earned $46 million domestically during its initial run, a figure that understated its eventual staying power. The original gradually found its audience through home video, cable, and streaming, circulating widely long after its theatrical moment had passed. The film also benefited from renewed interest in late-1990s aesthetics and a sustained appetite for witchcraft narratives in popular culture. That cultivated fanbase, built over nearly three decades, is the foundation the sequel is built on.
The $30 million debut, while placing the film at number one, landed at the low end of Warner Bros.’ projected range of $30 to $35 million. For a film carrying $75 million in production costs plus marketing expenses, analysts note that the real measure of success will come from how well it holds in the weeks ahead.
What the Weekend Means Going Forward
Senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian was measured in his assessment. He described the film as carrying the social appeal more typically associated with a live concert: “It’s the kind of movie that you can build an evening at the movie theater around with your friends.” He predicted that “weekend two will tell the tale, no question about it,” and credited Bullock and Kidman as “crucial to rekindling interest” in the franchise after nearly three decades.
The sequel opens as the fall entertainment calendar fills quickly. From outdoor fall festivals to a crowded lineup of fall shows competing for audience attention on streaming, audiences have no shortage of options. Elsewhere in this weekend’s top ten, Spider-Man: Brand New Day earned $8.4 million in its seventh weekend, The Odyssey took third with $7.4 million, Runner came in fourth at $6.6 million, and Coyote vs. Acme rounded out the top five with $6.2 million.
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