‘Practical Magic 2’ Is Ready to Break Spider-Man’s Six-Week Box Office Streak

Spider-Man: Brand New Day has had an incredible run at the domestic box office, but its time at number one may finally be coming to an end. After six straight weekends at the top, Tom Holland’s latest Spider-Man movie is facing its biggest challenge yet from a very different kind of blockbuster. Practical Magic 2 is arriving in theaters with nearly 30 years of nostalgia behind it, and early projections suggest that could be enough to push Spider-Man out of first place.

According to the box office projections in the supplied report, Practical Magic 2 is expected to open somewhere between $30 million and $40 million in North America. The sequel is scheduled to play in around 4,000 theaters, giving it a major advantage as audiences head into the fall movie season. If those estimates are close, Spider-Man: Brand New Day will finally lose its six-week grip on the domestic charts.

That would still be a remarkable run for Brand New Day. The movie has reportedly earned around $923 million in North America and has passed $2.4 billion worldwide. Its global performance has turned it into one of the biggest movies of the year, while its domestic total is putting it within reach of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Even if Spider-Man drops to second place this weekend, the movie still has plenty of room to keep making money in theaters.

Practical Magic 2 is taking a very different path to the box office. The movie brings Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman back as Sally and Gillian Owens, almost three decades after the original film first introduced audiences to the witchy sisters. The 1998 movie was not a huge financial success when it came out, earning about $68 million worldwide against a reported $75 million budget. Over the years, however, it developed a loyal fanbase and became much more popular in the years that followed.

The new movie is counting heavily on that audience returning. Susanne Bier directs the sequel, which moves the story forward 25 years and puts more attention on the next generation of the Owens family. Sally and Gillian’s daughters become involved in a new supernatural problem as they discover family secrets and try to deal with the curse connected to their bloodline. Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing also return, while Lee Pace, Maisie Williams, Joey King, Xolo Maridueña and Solly McLeod join the cast.

The biggest question is whether nostalgia will be enough to keep the movie performing after opening weekend. The early reviews are not especially encouraging. Practical Magic 2 is currently sitting at 35% on Rotten Tomatoes, while Variety’s review criticized the movie for being too long and difficult to justify after such a long wait. That could become a problem if audiences also have a similar reaction once the initial excitement wears off.

Still, the movie has a strong opportunity this weekend because the fall schedule is bringing plenty of variety to theaters. Upcoming releases include Tom Cruise’s Digger, Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil reboot and Verity, starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson. Variety also quoted Flix Brewhouse exhibitor Chris Randleman as saying there are plenty of “cool and original ideas” coming during the fall. That suggests theater owners are hoping the strong summer season can continue into the final months of the year.

Outside North America, Practical Magic 2 is expected to earn another $18 million to $25 million from 77 territories. That could give the film a worldwide opening between $48 million and $65 million. With a reported $75 million production budget, Warner Bros. will likely need the sequel to stay popular beyond its first weekend if it wants a major financial win.

For Spider-Man, losing the number one position would be more of a milestone than a disaster. Brand New Day has already made a huge amount of money and has established itself as one of the year’s biggest theatrical successes. The real question now is whether Practical Magic 2 can turn its opening weekend victory into a longer run, or whether Spider-Man will quickly return to the top.

Either way, this weekend marks an interesting change in the box-office battle. After six weeks of Spider-Man dominating the domestic charts, audiences are about to decide whether a long-awaited magical sequel can finally take the crown.

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