Practical Magic 2 goes international this weekend, and the witches need the boost - 3DVF

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman’s witchy reunion didn’t quite cast the spell Warner Bros. was hoping for. The domestic debut landed at $30 million, the low end of studio projections, while overseas the film pulled in just $16 million from 77 markets against a hoped-for $18 to $23 million. That’s still enough combined muscle to knock Spider-Man: Brand New Day off its six-week perch atop the charts, but the margins are thin for a $75 million production. Now the UK and Japan join the fold on September 18, and how those crowds respond will decide whether Practical Magic 2 claws its way toward a respectable global run or simply becomes another line item on this Sunday’s box office tally.

A mixed domestic debut for the Owens sisters’ return

Practical Magic 2 opened in North America on September 11, 2026, across 4,146 theaters and immediately claimed the top spot, ending Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s six-week reign at the box office. Still, the sequel’s $30 million domestic opening, pegged by Box Office Mojo at exactly $30,002,526, landed at the very bottom of Warner Bros.’ projected $30 million to $35 million range.

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Audiences and critics split sharply. Opening-weekend crowds handed the film a B+ CinemaScore and a 93% Popcornmeter rating, while the Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score sat between 32% and 37%. Fans showed up; reviewers mostly shrugged.

International rollout aims to fill the gap

Overseas, the film began a staggered release around September 9 through 11 in a first wave of markets, including Austria, Belgium and Canada. That wave produced $16 million from 77 markets, bringing the worldwide opening to roughly $46 million. Warner Bros. had projected $18 million to $23 million abroad, so the international start also came in light.

The rollout wraps up tomorrow, September 18, when the sequel reaches the United Kingdom and Japan. With a production budget of $75 million before marketing, those final territories carry real weight in the film’s path toward profitability.

Nostalgia and new faces conjure mixed reactions

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman return as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, 28 years after the 1998 original. Susanne Bier directs from a screenplay by Akiva Goldsman, Georgia Pritchett and Kelly Marcel, adapted from Alice Hoffman’s novel The Book of Magic. The cast adds Joey King, Lee Pace, Maisie Williams and Xolo Maridueña, alongside returning veterans Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest.

Critics found the mix familiar. “This late sequel delivers a retread of the signposts that made the original a beloved fixture for certain moviegoers,” wrote Variety’s Todd Gilchrist. The gap between that verdict and the audience’s 93% approval suggests the sequel was built for the faithful rather than the skeptics.

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Can Practical Magic 2 find its global rhythm?

Everything now hinges on legs. A strong hold in North America, powered by word-of-mouth, could offset the soft start, and the UK and Japan openings offer a fresh injection of ticket sales this weekend. The first read on that second wave arrives with the weekend estimates on September 20.