Practical Magic 2 After Three Weekends: Why Audiences Like It More Than Critics, and Who Should Still Go

Updated September 29, 2026. This page was first written before the release, based on the trailer. It has been rewritten after three weekends in theaters, with the reviews, the box office and a plain answer to who will enjoy it. Figures were checked on that date against the sources listed at the end.

Practical Magic 2 opened in U.S. theaters on September 11, 2026, with Thursday previews the night before. Twenty-eight years after the first film, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman return as the Owens sisters, directed this time by Susanne Bier. The film opened at No. 1 and ended Spider-Man: Brand New Day's run at the top. Three weekends later, the picture is mixed. Critics are lukewarm, audiences are warm, and the box office is below what a $75 million film needs. For deciding whether to go, the audience numbers matter more than the critics' score. This page explains why.

The basics, in one table

Item	Detail
Director	Susanne Bier
Writers	Akiva Goldsman, Georgia Pritchett, Kelly Marcel
Studio	Warner Bros. Pictures
Runtime	130 minutes
Returning cast	Sandra Bullock (Sally Owens), Nicole Kidman (Gillian Owens), Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing (the aunts)
New cast	Joey King and Maisie Williams as Sally's daughters, Lee Pace, Xolo Maridueña
Source	Alice Hoffman's 2021 novel The Book of Magic, the last book in her Practical Magic series
Reported budget	$75 million

The story, without spoilers: the Owens family curse returns when Kylie's boyfriend falls into a coma, and the sisters travel to England to find a book that could break an old family spell. It is a family drama with magic, not a horror film. That matters for who will enjoy it.

Critics vs. audiences: a wide gap

Measure	Result
Rotten Tomatoes (critics)	37–39%
Metacritic	44 ("mixed or average")
Rotten Tomatoes (audience)	92%
PostTrak	4.5 out of 5
CinemaScore	B+

A 50-point gap between critics and audiences is unusual. It usually means the film delivers what its intended audience came for, while critics judge it against a broader standard. Opening-weekend data supports that reading. The crowd was mostly millennial and Gen X women, and the share of viewers under 25 rose from 10% on Friday to 23% on Saturday. That suggests mothers and daughters were going together, which matches the film's mother–daughter story.

In practice: if you liked the 1998 film, the audience score is the better guide for you. If you didn't see it, or didn't care for it, the critics' score is the safer one.

Box office after three weekends

Weekend	Rank	Domestic weekend	Change	Domestic total
Sep 11–13 (opening, 4,146 locations)	1	$30.0M	—	$30.0M
Sep 18–20	2	$12.2M	−59%	$50.0M
Sep 25–27	6	$5.6M	about −54%	$59.8M

Worldwide, the film had reached about $92.4 million by September 27. Its $46 million global opening included $30 million from North America, so international audiences have not made up the gap. The steep second-weekend drop came as Resident Evil opened to $60 million. Trade reporting now expects a domestic finish in the low $70 million range.

Theaters keep roughly half of ticket sales. A common industry rule of thumb is that a film needs about 2 to 2.5 times its production budget worldwide to break even in theaters. For a $75 million film, that means roughly $150 million to $190 million. Practical Magic 2 is not on track to reach that, and trade coverage describes it as a disappointment. For viewers, this matters for one reason: films that fall this fast usually lose their large screens and evening showtimes quickly.

The first film had the same problem, and later found its audience anyway

The gap between critics and audiences is not new for this series. The original Practical Magic, directed by Griffin Dunne and released on October 16, 1998, scored 30% on Rotten Tomatoes. It opened at No. 1 with $13.1 million and finished with about $68.3 million worldwide, on a reported budget of $60–75 million. By the numbers of its time, it was a modest result at best.

What happened next helps explain why a sequel was made. The film built a cult following over the years and became a seasonal favorite. When it arrived on Max in October 2024, it reached No. 5 on the platform's top 10 within a day. Scholars have since written about how it treats the bond between the sisters, which was unusual for a mainstream film at the time.

	Practical Magic (1998)	Practical Magic 2 (2026)
Rotten Tomatoes (critics)	30%	37–39%
Opening weekend	$13.1M, No. 1	$30.0M, No. 1
Worldwide	About $68.3M (final)	About $92.4M (after three weekends)
Reported budget	$60–75M	$75M

This does not mean the sequel will follow the same path. It does suggest that the theatrical run is only part of this story. A seasonal streaming audience is probably where the film finds most of its viewers. If you are not sure it's for you, waiting costs you very little.

Who should see it in a theater

Fans of the 1998 film. Bullock, Kidman, Wiest and Channing are all back, and the tone is the same kind of warm, witchy family story. This is the audience behind the 92% score.
Parents and teenage or adult children going together. The mother–daughter story is at the center, and the opening-weekend data suggests that is exactly who went.
Readers of Alice Hoffman's books. The film adapts The Book of Magic, which closes the series, so readers will recognize where the story ends up.

Who should wait or skip

Viewers who want a scary Halloween film. This is not horror. If that's what you're after, Resident Evil is the horror release of the season.
People sensitive to runtime. At 130 minutes, it runs more than half an hour longer than Resident Evil and is long for a family fantasy drama.
Anyone who didn't care for the first film. The sequel doesn't change the formula, so the lukewarm critics' score is the better guide for you.

Theater now, or streaming later?

Warner Bros. has not announced a digital or streaming date as of this update. Given how quickly the film is losing screens, a paid digital release is likely sooner rather than later, but no date has been confirmed. If you want to see it in a theater, this week and next are probably the last with wide showtimes. If you're on the fence, it is a comfortable film to watch at home, and a long one, which is another reason to wait.

Numbers worth writing down

U.S. release: September 11, 2026 (previews September 10) · 130 minutes · Warner Bros.
Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 37–39% critics / 92% audience · Metacritic 44 · CinemaScore B+ · PostTrak 4.5/5
Opening: $30.0M domestic from 4,146 locations; $46M worldwide
After three weekends: $59.8M domestic; about $92.4M worldwide
Reported budget: $75 million

What this article could not confirm

A digital or streaming release date. None had been announced as of September 29.
The film's MPA rating and its stated reason, which we did not verify for this update.

Search This Blog

USMovieReleases