Practical Magic 2 debuts at No. 1 with $30 million box office opening
The Warner Bros. sequel starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman claimed the top spot at the weekend box office with $30 million domestically.
ABC News reports that the Independent notes Seat42F confirms a changing box-office landscape as Just Jared details the arrival of Practical Magic 2
atop the North American charts. Nearly three decades after the original film grew from modest theatrical beginnings into a cult favourite, the Warner Bros. Sequel has successfully dethroned a summer juggernaut and reset expectations for autumn cinema.
According to Deadline, the domestic opening lands at the lower end of pre-release forecasts, matching the historic mean of Sandra Bullock vehicles like The Lost City
, The Proposal
, and The Blind Side
. Rentrak estimates placed the weekend haul at $30 million across 4,146 cinemas. That figure brought an end to the extraordinary six-week winning streak enjoyed by Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Media additions
Directed by Susanne Bier, the feature reunites Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens. The narrative follows their ongoing efforts to end an ancestral curse that haunts their family's romantic lives, introducing a younger generation portrayed by Joey King and Maisie Williams alongside Lee Pace. The film is adapted from the literary work of Alice Hoffman.
While the domestic performance met early studio projections, international returns told a slightly different story. Just Jared reported that international markets brought in $16 million from 77 territories, which fell below initial studio hopes of $18 million to $23 million.
Rentrak senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian observed via ABC News:
"It's the kind of movie that you can build an evening at the movie theater around with your friends."
Paul Dergarabedian, Senior media analyst, Rentrak via ABC News
Dergarabedian emphasized that the real test for the Warner Bros. Project will unfold during its second frame when direct competition remains scarce. He noted that the return of Bullock and Kidman was crucial in sparking interest after a lengthy gap between installments.
Audience reception diverged sharply from critical reviews. Just Jared noted that while critics awarded the sequel a 37% Rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the Associated Press review arguing it lacks some campy fun of the original, moviegoers responded with enthusiasm. Ticket buyers delivered a B+ CinemaScore, a 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 4.5 out of 5 rating on PostTrak.
Further down the box-office chart, holdovers continued to rewrite records. As highlighted in Yahoo and Seat42F reporting, Spider-Man: Brand New Day slipped to second place with $8.4 million. That pushed its cumulative domestic take to roughly $935.2 million, putting the Sony and Marvel blockbuster within striking distance of the all-time domestic record held by Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens
at $936.6 million. Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan's mythic epic The Odyssey
pulled in $7.4 million in its ninth weekend, bringing its domestic total past $600.5 million and its global tally to $1.68 billion, overtaking Jurassic World
as Universal's highest-grossing global release.
| Film Title | Distributor | Weekend Gross | Total Domestic Gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practical Magic 2 | Warner Bros. | $30 million | $30 million |
| Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Sony / Marvel | $8.4 million | $935.2 million |
| The Odyssey | Universal Pictures | $7.4 million | $600.5 million |
| Runner | Angel Studios | $6.6 million | $6.6 million |
| Coyote vs. Acme | Ketchup Entertainment | $6.2 million | $47.8 million |
New arrivals also fought for screens across North America. Angel Studios' action-comedy Runner
, directed by Scott Waugh and starring Alan Ritchson alongside Owen Wilson, opened in fourth place with $6.6 million from over 2,500 locations. Ketchup Entertainment's Coyote vs. Acme
finished fifth with $6.2 million in its third weekend, lifting its domestic cume to $47.8 million. Further down, Focus Features' historical action drama The Uprising
, directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Andrew Garfield, debuted in ninth place with $3.25 million, while the South Korean sci-fi thriller Hope
opened in eighth with $3.3 million.
Industry observers point to a healthy mix of genres energising the box office. Total domestic revenue for the year has climbed to $7.5 billion, representing a 19.2% increase compared to the same point in the previous year. For more insights on the changing cinematic landscape, explore our Culture coverage.
What to Watch Next
- Final domestic and international box office figures will be officially released on Monday.
- Industry analysts will monitor whether "Practical Magic 2" can hold its audience during its sophomore frame amid minimal direct competition.
- "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" pursues the final milestone required to surpass "Star Wars: Episode VII, The Force Awakens" on the all-time domestic charts.
