‘Practical Magic 2’ Casts a Box Office Spell With a Huge Opening

Practical Magic 2 may have arrived with mixed reviews, but moviegoers are already showing that they are ready to return to the world of the Owens sisters. The long-awaited sequel has delivered a much stronger start than expected during Thursday night previews, giving Warner Bros. a much-needed reason to feel good about one of its biggest fall releases. After years of waiting, fans are clearly willing to head back to the magic, even if critics are not completely sold on the movie.

According to the latest box office estimates, Practical Magic 2 earned around $4.7 million from Thursday preview screenings. That is a strong number for a legacy sequel and puts the movie ahead of several recent films with similar audience appeal. The result is especially interesting because the original Practical Magic was not a major box office hit when it came out in 1998. Instead, the movie slowly built its fan base over the years and eventually became a cult favorite.

The new film is benefiting from that long-lasting popularity. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are back as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, nearly 30 years after they first played the characters. Their return appears to be one of the biggest reasons audiences are showing up. The preview total was also nearly twice what Jungle Cruise made from its own preview screenings in 2021, showing that Bullock and Kidman still have plenty of appeal when they share the screen.

Warner Bros. is now expecting Practical Magic 2 to make somewhere between $30 million and $40 million during its opening weekend in the United States. Some estimates are even reaching $45 million if the strong early interest continues. That would be a huge improvement over the first movie, which opened to only $13.1 million in 1998. The original eventually made $46.7 million domestically and $94.4 million worldwide.

The sequel has a much bigger price tag this time around, with its production budget reportedly sitting between $75 million and $78 million. Warner Bros. is also expecting the movie to bring in another $18 million to $25 million from international markets. That could put its worldwide opening somewhere around $50 million to $65 million. The figures come from current industry estimates and tracking ahead of the movie’s full weekend release.

Interestingly, the early box office success is happening while the movie is receiving a weak response from critics. Practical Magic 2 is currently sitting in the mid-30% range on Rotten Tomatoes, which puts it in a similar position to the original movie when it was first released. The first film did not win over critics in a major way either, but that did not stop audiences from turning it into a beloved movie over time.

That history could be important for the sequel. Practical Magic has spent years finding new fans through television, streaming, and repeat viewings. For many viewers, the movie is less about reviews and more about nostalgia, the relationship between the Owens sisters, and the feeling of watching something familiar during the spooky season. Practical Magic 2 seems to be getting a similar response, with audiences choosing to make up their own minds.

Directed by Susanne Bier, the sequel brings the sisters back for another supernatural family story. The cast also includes Joey King as Sally’s daughter Kylie, along with Stockard Channing, Dianne Wiest, Lee Pace, Xolo Maridueña, and Solly McLeod. The story once again focuses on the Owens family as an old curse creates new problems for the next generation.

The strong preview numbers could also have a major effect on the domestic box office chart. Practical Magic 2 is expected to challenge Spider-Man: Brand New Day for the top spot this weekend. After the superhero movie enjoyed a long run near the top, having a completely different kind of film take over would make for an interesting change.

For Warner Bros., this could be exactly the kind of result the studio needed. The studio has had several disappointments in 2026, but Practical Magic 2 is showing that a movie built around nostalgia can still bring people into theaters. The early numbers do not guarantee a huge final run, but they do show that audiences have not forgotten the Owens sisters. If the movie continues to attract fans throughout the weekend, Practical Magic 2 could turn into one of the year’s more surprising box office wins.

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