‘Practical Magic 2’ Aims to Dethrone ‘Spider-Man’ After Six-Week Reign

Few films this year have managed to maintain the top position at the domestic box office for as long as Sony and Marvel’s latest ‘Spider-Man’ installment, a run that has far exceeded what most blockbusters achieve in a typical release cycle.

‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘ has spent the past several weeks dominating the charts, becoming the highest-grossing ‘Spider-Man’ film ever made and surpassing $2.4 billion worldwide since its late July debut.

That extended reign is now facing its first significant challenge in weeks, with ‘Practical Magic 2‘ opening wide as the film most likely to finally dethrone the wall crawler. After six weeks with ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ sitting at the top of the domestic box office, The Hollywood Reporter noted that ‘Practical Magic 2’ is aiming to conjure up a victory of its own this weekend.

The sequel to 1998’s cult favorite reunites Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as witch sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, arriving nearly three decades after the original struggled at the box office despite building a devoted fanbase over the years.

Tracking estimates had the film opening anywhere between $30 million and $35 million domestically, a projection that would comfortably outpace the original’s modest $46 million total lifetime run. Warner Bros. released the sequel across more than 4,000 theaters domestically, alongside a rollout spanning 77 international territories that’s expected to add another $18 million to $25 million in overseas ticket sales.

Critical reception has been notably mixed heading into release, with some reviewers describing the film’s pacing and narrative choices as cumbersome given how long fans waited for a follow-up. However, that reception hasn’t dampened the anticipation surrounding the film’s box office potential, particularly given how strong an opening would be needed to actually unseat ‘Spider-Man’ from his six-week perch.

Whether ‘Practical Magic 2’ manages to pull off the upset will depend heavily on how much crossover appeal it finds beyond the built-in nostalgia audience that’s fueled ticket presales so far. Given how dominant ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ has remained deep into its theatrical run, any film capable of finally knocking it from the top spot would represent a genuinely notable box office moment this year.

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