Something witchy this way comes. The long-awaited, highly-anticipated Practical Magic 2 makes its bewitching presence felt on moviegoers this weekend, with the vast majority of the original main cast back to rustle up some memorable spells. Yes, that means Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock reunite as the Owens Sisters, along with the original Owens Sisters (a.k.a. the Aunts) Dianne West and Stockard Channing. And, for the most part, the magic was recaptured.
The sees Sally and Gillian make their way to a new location to track down one of the former's daughters as a new adventure unfolds - one that threatens to reopen old Owens wounds while also offering up more information about their family history. And, in doing so, Practical Magic 2 is set to cause something of a stir at the box office.
Practical Magic 2 poised to end Spider-Man: Brand New Day's legendary box office reign
The witches are set to cast a spell on the box office. Yes, Practical Magic 2 is performing above expectations, with its Thursday night previews already magic-ing up an impressive $4.7 million. This has put it on course for a domestic opening weekend total of somewhere between $30 million - $40 million (with some higher-end projections predicting it will make $50 million). Internationally, it's looking at around $18 million - $25 million. And that would put its global opening weekend total around $48 million - $65 million, depending on how eager audiences are for the nostalgic sequel.
What's even more impressive is that the Owens Sisters are set to untangle the web that Spider-Man: Brand New Day has spun all summer, unseating the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie from the top spot of the global office after an incredible, six-week run. Spidey now sits in the No. 3 spot in the all-time highest-grossing movies (just behind 2019's Avengers: Endgame and 2009's Avatar) and has completely dominated theaters since its July release. To accomplish that in such a short space of time is truly something spectacular.
While Practical Magic 2 won't be matching Spider-Man's overall numbers at all, it will still have bragging rights as the movie that ended Spidey's incredible streak. And that's not bad for a legacy sequel to a 28-year-old movie. Not bad at all.
Practical Magic was somewhat undervalued when it was first released in 1998. Despite starring Hollywood heavyweights Bullock and Kidman, it underperformed at the box office, grossing $90 million on a budget of $70 million, meaning that it didn't turn a profit for Warner Bros. It also received mixed reviews, with critics specifcally pointing out the jarring shifts between whimsical romcom to full -on supernatural horror. And yet, in the years since, it has been re-evaluated as a '90s classic, becoming a cult classic in the process.
As a result, Warner Bros. is eager to create the success of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice here. The Tim Burton sequel was released this very same week in 2024 and it overperformed, ultimately grossing $452 million - well up from the 1988 original's solid $84 million. While Practical Magic 2 isn't expected to reach those same numbers, it is expected to recreate history by massively outperforming its predecessor. Hopes are that it will finish its box office run above $200 million - which it is expected to do if it maintains its box office legs all through spooky season- and that will place it well above the 1998 original's $90 million.
Practical Magic 2 has now arrived in movie theaters.
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