Practical Magic 2 has cast a spell over the domestic box office. The Warner Bros. sequel, starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as the Owens sisters, is projected to earn around $30 million in its three-day domestic opening weekend, according to Variety. The figure is enough to claim the No. 1 spot and end the six-week reign of Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
The sequel opened in 4,146 North American theaters and grossed $13 million on Friday, including $4.7 million from Thursday previews. It carries a production budget of $75 million. Audiences handed the film a B+ CinemaScore, an improvement over the B- received by the 1998 original.
A Sequel That More Than Doubles the Original
The 1998 Practical Magic was not a theatrical success. It grossed just $13.1 million in its opening weekend and topped out at $46 million domestically during its initial run, against a budget reported between $60 million and $75 million.
When adjusted for inflation, the original’s opening weekend total comes to roughly $27 million. The sequel has still managed to surpass that figure, even when accounting for nearly three decades of ticket price increases.
The new film cost $75 million to produce. Adjusted for inflation, the original’s budget would fall between $122 million and $153 million, meaning the sequel effectively cost about half of what the first movie did. Since big-budget films often need to earn back two and a half times their production budgets to break even, the break-even point for Practical Magic 2 is estimated at around $187.5 million worldwide.
The Numbers Behind the Opening
The sequel is playing in over 4,000 North American locations. Warner Bros. had initially projected a domestic debut in the range of $30 million to $35 million, while some industry experts believed it could reach $40 million. The final figure landed at the lower end of those expectations.
Internationally, the film is expected to earn between $18 million and $23 million from 77 territories, with no release in China. That puts the global opening weekend total somewhere between $48 million and $65 million.
The film has been described as a “legacyquel” — a sequel released years after the original that continues the story with its original stars. Joey King and Maisie Williams play Sally’s daughters, while Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest return as the aunts Frances and Jet. Lee Pace, Xolo Maridueña, Katy Wix, and Solly McLeod round out the supporting cast. Susanne Bier, known for Bird Box, directed the sequel.
Fans and Critics See Different Movies
A sharp divide has emerged between critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. The sequel holds a 36% approval rating from critics, based on over 100 reviews, while audiences have given it a 92% score — a near-perfect rating.
The 1998 original faced a similar split, with critics rating it at 30% and audiences at 73%. Nearly three decades later, the pattern has repeated itself with an even wider gap.
Practical Magic 2 “works better the less you look for any sense of logic, and the more you just lean into the transient joys of watching these [two] actresses bounce off each other,” wrote Angie Han, critic for The Hollywood Reporter.
The film’s audience score of 92% is notably higher than the original’s 73%, suggesting that fans who grew up with the cult classic have warmly received the sequel’s return to the Owens family story.
What the Opening Means for Warner Bros.
The win comes during a difficult year for Warner Bros. at the box office. The studio has struggled with several releases in 2026, and Practical Magic 2 was seen as one of its stronger bets heading into the fall season.
The sequel’s opening weekend is more than double the original’s $13.1 million debut, even before adjusting for inflation. The original Practical Magic eventually found a devoted following through home video and television airings, growing into a cult classic over the years. That enduring popularity is part of why a sequel was made nearly three decades later.
“The spell is cast. The date is set. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman return,” Warner Bros. announced in a social media post when revealing the release date.
The film’s performance also ends Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s six-week streak at No. 1. The Marvel film, starring Tom Holland, is still nearing an all-time domestic box office record. It is expected to gross around $8.5 million for the weekend, bringing its domestic total to $935.271 million — just shy of the $936.6 million record held by Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens.
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Release Details for Global Audiences
Practical Magic 2 released in the United States on September 18, 2026, with some international markets getting the film earlier, starting from September 10. The sequel is available in theaters across the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, India, and other global markets. The original Practical Magic is currently streaming on Max for those who want to revisit the Owens sisters’ first story.
The film adapts the world created by author Alice Hoffman, whose 1995 novel introduced the Owens family — a line of women cursed so that the men they fall in love with are doomed to die. The sequel focuses on Sally and Gillian as they attempt to end the curse that has affected their family for generations.
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