Nicole-Sandra's 'Practical Magic 2' debuts with a modest $46M
What's the story
The much-awaited sequel to the 1998 fantasy film, Practical Magic 2, has opened to a disappointing $30 million from 4,146 North American theaters. Despite debuting at number one, the earnings are on the lower end of expectations and have been compared to those of its predecessor, which was a box office flop but eventually became a cult classic.
Box office performance
'Practical Magic 2' also underperforms internationally
The Warner Bros. fantasy sequel also underperformed internationally, raking in a mere $16 million from 77 markets for a global weekend total of $46 million.
This is concerning as the original Practical Magic film, which introduced Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as witchy sisters, opened with $13 million (around $27 million today when adjusted for inflation).
The sequel has a hefty production budget of $75 million (excluding millions spent on global marketing).
Critical response
Critical reception and audience scores
The sequel, directed by Susanne Bier, has received a poor critical reception with just 36% on Rotten Tomatoes.
However, audiences have been more forgiving, giving the film a "B+" grade on CinemaScore exit polls.
The story picks up 25 years later as the daughters of Sally (Bullock) and Gillian (Kidman) discover their family's dark secrets and try to break a curse that has plagued them for generations.
Profitability challenge
Despite the disappointing start, there are some silver linings
Despite its modest start, Practical Magic 2 has managed to open at number one and end the six-weekend reign of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. It also beat several other newcomers like Runner and The Uprising.
However, with theater owners keeping about 50% of ticket sales, per Variety, the film will likely struggle to break even.
Meanwhile, Spider-Man came in second this weekend with $8.6 million in earnings in its seventh weekend, followed by The Odyssey with $8.1 million.