Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman have finally broken the curse that haunted Practical Magic for nearly three decades. Practical Magic 2 debuted at No. 1 at the North American box office with an estimated $30 million from 4,146 theaters, ending the six-week reign of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The sequel also collected $16 million internationally, giving it a worldwide opening of $46 million.
The victory carries a delicious touch of Hollywood revenge. When the original Practical Magic arrived in 1998, critics struggled with its unusual mixture of romance, comedy, grief and witchcraft. The movie failed to become the theatrical sensation its stars expected, but years of television screenings, home-video discoveries and social-media devotion transformed it into a cult classic.
Bullock recently admitted that the original movie's hostile reception left her carrying a surprising amount of shame. She recalled thinking audiences would love the film, only to watch the excitement around it suddenly disappear. Kidman and Bullock have now returned not only as Sally and Gillian Owens but also as producers, allowing them to reclaim a story Hollywood once dismissed as too strange, too female and too difficult to categorize.
Directed by Susanne Bier, the sequel finds the Owens sisters confronting a dark curse that threatens to tear their family apart. Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest also reprise their roles, while Joey King, Maisie Williams, Xolo Maridueña, Lee Pace and Solly McLeod help introduce a new generation to the Owens family's magical-and frequently messy-legacy.
The opening was not quite the enormous breakout some advance forecasts anticipated, and the movie will need staying power to justify its reported $75 million production budget. Nevertheless, audiences appear more enthusiastic than some critics. The sequel received a B+ CinemaScore, while older moviegoers who grew up with the original reportedly responded especially warmly.
For Bullock and Kidman, however, reaching No. 1 may be sweeter than any opening-weekend prediction. Their once-rejected movie survived long enough to become beloved, inspire a sequel and knock one of the year's biggest superheroes from the top of the chart. Hollywood may have needed 28 years to understand the Owens sisters, but their magic has finally conquered the box office.
