Practical Magic 2 Targets Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s Six-Week Box Office Streak

Practical Magic 2 is arriving in theaters with the opportunity to end Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s six-week reign at the top of the domestic box office. Warner Bros. Pictures is opening the supernatural sequel in more than 4,000 North American theaters, with the studio projecting an opening weekend between $30 million and $35 million domestically.

The sequel reunites Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, nearly three decades after they first played the characters in the original 1998 film. Warner Bros. is also projecting an additional $18 million to $23 million internationally, giving the sequel a potentially strong global launch.

Can Practical Magic 2 Defeat Spider-Man?

The biggest challenge for Practical Magic 2 is Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which has dominated the domestic chart for six consecutive weeks. The Tom Holland-led Marvel movie is still performing strongly and is approaching the domestic record set by Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which earned $936 million in North America.

However, Practical Magic 2 has the advantage of bringing back Bullock and Kidman for a direct continuation of the original cult favorite. The new story once again follows the Owens family as Sally and Gillian attempt to break a curse that has prevented their relatives from finding lasting love.

Joey King, Maisie Williams and Lee Pace join the returning stars, while Susanne Bier directs the sequel. The film is based on characters from Alice Hoffman’s original novel, continuing the supernatural romance that began with the 1998 movie.

Critical reception has been less enthusiastic than the commercial expectations. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Practical Magic 2 holds a 36 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while critic Angie Han wrote that the movie works best when audiences embrace the enjoyment of watching Bullock and Kidman together.

With Spider-Man: Brand New Day already approaching a major domestic milestone, the weekend box office will determine whether Practical Magic 2 can finally remove Marvel’s latest blockbuster from the No. 1 position.