Box Office Upset
Practical Magic 2 ends Spider-Man box office reign with strong opening weekend.
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Key Points
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Practical Magic 2 earned a B+ CinemaScore from audiences, while its reception on Rotten Tomatoes was sharply divided: 36% from critics versus 93% from audiences.
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The sequel picks up 25 years after the original and follows the daughters of Sally and Gillian Owens as they confront the family curse; Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing return, alongside newcomers including Joey King, Maisie Williams, Xolo Maridueña and Lee Pace.
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The 1998 original opened to only $13 million and finished with $94 million worldwide, but later developed a cult following through home viewing that helped create demand for the sequel.
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Practical Magic 2 generated $4.7 million from Thursday preview screenings at 3,200 locations before its wide release.
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The sequel’s projected $30 million opening is comparable to Sandra Bullock’s 2022 action-comedy The Lost City, which debuted to $30.4 million domestically.
Practical Magic 2 conjured the weekend's box-office crown with a $30 million domestic opening, dethroning Spider-Man: Brand New Day after six weeks atop the charts. The Warner Bros. sequel, starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, earned $13 million on Friday from 4,146 theaters and is expected to reach $48 million to $65 million globally Variety.
The film split audiences and critics sharply. Rotten Tomatoes shows critics gave it 36% while audiences scored it 93%, and the movie earned a B+ CinemaScore from opening-weekend viewers. Spider-Man: Brand New Day claimed second place with $8.5 million, pushing its domestic total to roughly $935 million—just shy of The Force Awakens' $936.6 million record Box Office Pro.
The Spell Behind the Sequel's Success
Practical Magic 2 picks up 25 years after the 1998 original, following the daughters of Sally and Gillian Owens as they battle the family curse. The returning cast includes Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing, joined by newcomers Joey King, Maisie Williams, Xolo Maridueña, and Lee Pace My News LA. Strong Thursday previews—$4.7 million from 3,200 locations—signaled solid demand heading into the weekend.
The original 1998 film opened to just $13 million and finished with $94 million worldwide. But it found new life on home video and streaming, building a devoted cult following that fueled demand for this sequel Courant. The $30 million debut matches Sandra Bullock's 2022 hit The Lost City, which also opened to $30.4 million domestically.
Spider-Man Closes In on Movie History
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now within striking distance of The Force Awakens' all-time domestic record of $936.6 million. The Marvel film's seventh-weekend total of $935 million could surpass that mark this coming weekend Media Play News. The superhero blockbuster's six-week reign shows the strength of its theatrical run.
The film's exceptional performance has anchored what Box Office Pro calls a record-setting summer at U.S. theaters. Spider-Man has demonstrated unusual staying power, maintaining top-tier audience interest across multiple weekends—a rarity in today's fragmented viewing landscape.
Mixed Reviews Signal Shift in Audience Taste
The 36% critic score versus 93% audience score reveals a chasm in how Practical Magic 2 landed. Critics found fault where general audiences saw magic—a pattern increasingly common for nostalgic sequels targeting devoted fan bases. The B+ CinemaScore suggests viewers left satisfied, even if professional reviewers were divided.
Practical Magic 2's $75 million production budget means its theatrical performance matters significantly for Warner Bros. A $30 million opening is solid but fell short of some pre-release estimates, making the film's legs—how much it earns beyond opening weekend—crucial to overall profitability News SSB Crack.
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