‘Practical Magic 2’ Casts Its Opening Weekend Spell With Strong Thursday Previews
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are donning their witch hats once again, nearly three decades after ‘Practical Magic’ first enchanted audiences. Warner Bros. is optimistic that this reunion will become one of the fall season’s biggest box office successes, combining nostalgia with star power that studios rarely replicate.
While the original 1998 film didn’t dominate the box office initially, it has since garnered a devoted cult following that has only intensified with the announcement of the sequel. This established fan base is precisely what Warner Bros. and producing partner Alcon are banking on as ‘Practical Magic 2’ opens in theaters.
The film’s prospects received an early boost, generating an estimated $3.5 million to $4 million in domestic previews after showtimes began Thursday at 2 p.m., according to Deadline. This figure surpasses the preview totals for several comparable Bullock films, including her 2022 adventure ‘The Lost City,’ which earned $2.5 million in previews before a $31 million three-day opening.
The preview earnings also outpace the $1.1 million Thursday previews for the romantic comedy ‘Ticket to Paradise,’ which ultimately opened at $16.5 million. Notably, ‘Practical Magic 2’ exceeded the $3 million Thursday previews for Warner Bros. and MRC’s ‘Wuthering Heights,’ which went on to achieve a $32.8 million three-day opening weekend.
Deadline reported that even a conservative opening between $30 million and $35 million domestically would be a solid outcome for the $70 million production. The film will also benefit from premium large-format screens this weekend, particularly Dolby Cinema, with Alcon financing half of the reunion between Bullock and Kidman.
Other sources have provided slightly more optimistic projections. Variety suggests that nostalgia could help propel the sequel toward $30 million to $40 million from approximately 4,000 North American theaters during its opening weekend, a total that could dethrone ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ from its six-week reign at the top of the domestic box office.
Internationally, ‘Practical Magic 2’ aims for an additional $18 million to $25 million from 77 territories, according to Variety, potentially bringing the film’s total global opening haul to between $48 million and $65 million. Deadline’s global outlook aligns closely, projecting $58 million to $63 million worldwide against a $75 million production budget, a total that would already surpass the original film’s full lifetime worldwide gross of $51.3 million.
The sequel picks up 25 years after the first film, following a multigenerational family of witches cursed to remain loveless for centuries as they strive to break the spell by confronting old secrets and making sacrifices for one another. Susanne Bier directs the follow-up, reuniting Bullock and Kidman as the Owens sisters at the heart of the franchise.
Reviews for ‘Practical Magic 2’ have been notably harsher than the box office expectations, with the sequel currently holding a 36 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Deadline noted that critics were not particularly kind to the original film either, which has a 29 percent Rotten score despite its beloved status among fans over the years.
This disparity between critical reception and audience enthusiasm often serves as the strength of nostalgia-driven sequels, and ‘Practical Magic 2’ seems well-positioned to capitalize on this dynamic as it heads into its opening weekend. With strong previews already recorded and PLF screens working in its favor, the film appears set to deliver Warner Bros. one of its stronger fall openings, regardless of critical opinions.
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