‘Practical Magic 2’ conjures a No. 1 box office debut with $30 million
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LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "Practical Magic 2″ conjured a box-office victory this weekend, opening atop the North American charts nearly three decades after its predecessor grew from a modest theatrical performer into a cult favorite.
The Warner Bros. sequel starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman earned an estimated $30 million from 4,146 theaters, according to estimates Sunday from Rentrak. The film knocked "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" out of the top spot after the superhero blockbuster led the domestic box office for six consecutive weekends.
"Practical Magic 2" added about $16 million from 77 international markets, giving it a worldwide opening of approximately $46 million.
The debut landed at the low end of Warner Bros.' projected range of $30 million to $35 million. The Susanne Bier-directed film carries a reported $75 million production budget.
"It’s the kind of movie that you can build an evening at the movie theater around with your friends," said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Rentrak.
Dergarabedian said the return of Bullock and Kidman was crucial to rekindling interest after such a long gap between films. He said the bigger test will come next weekend, when the sequel faces little direct competition.
"It’s not necessarily about that opening weekend," he said. "Weekend two will tell the tale, no question about it."
"Practical Magic 2" reunites Bullock and Kidman as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, members of a family of witches whose love lives have long been haunted by an ancestral curse. The sequel finds them trying to end the curse for good and introduces a younger generation of the Owens family, played by Joey King and Maisie Williams. Lee Pace also joins the cast.
The film is adapted from the work of author Alice Hoffman and arrives 28 years after the original "Practical Magic." The 1998 film topped out at $46 million during its initial domestic run but gradually developed a devoted following through home viewing, streaming services and social media.
The latest film received two out of four stars from The Associated Press, whose review said the sequel abandons some of the campy fun that helped the original find an unlikely second life, but is buoyed by the strong performances and chemistry of Bullock and Kidman.
"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" slipped to second with $8.4 million, a 54% drop from the previous weekend. The Sony and Marvel blockbuster starring Tom Holland has now collected roughly $935.2 million domestically.