Warner Bros.' Practical Magic 2 arrives in theaters this weekend, and the long-awaited sequel might just manage to claim the domestic box office top spot from the mighty Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios' superhero juggernaut has broken pretty much every box office record possible since it swung into theaters in late July (it is now the third highest-grossing movie of all time worldwide), but its domestic BO dominance had to come to an end eventually, and the combined drawing power of Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock may prove to be too much for the Webhead.
Despite mostly negative reviews (the movie currently sits at 35% on Rotten Tomatoes), Practical Magic 2 is expected to take in between $30 million and $40 million from 4,000 North American theaters this weekend, which should be enough to topple Brand New Day from the No. 1 position.
Though the first movie has developed a cult following over the years, it was far from a critical hit when it was released back in 1998, and was met with mixed reviews for what many perceived to be a jarring combination of different genres, including supernatural fantasy, horror, domestic abuse drama, romantic comedy, and crime procedural.
Practical Magic was also a box office flop, taking in just $68 million worldwide against a production budget of $75 million.
After vanquishing the spirit of Gillian's abusive ex-boyfriend, Jimmy, at the end of the first film, the sequel will find the sisters confronting a "dark curse that threatens to unravel their family once and for all."
New additions to the cast include Lee Pace, Maisie Williams, and Joey King, with Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest set to reprise their roles as the Owens Sisters' aunts.
Practical Magic 2 returns to a world steeped in moonlit mischief and powerful ancestral magic, as the Owens sisters must confront the dark curse that threatens to unravel their family once and for all in a must-see cinematic event of fun, magic and mayhem.
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman star, alongside Joey King, Lee Pace, Maisie Williams, Xolo Maridueña, Solly McLeod, Stockard Channing, and Dianne Wiest. Susanne Bier directs the project, from a screenplay by Akiva Goldsman and Georgia Pritchett, based on the novel entitled The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman.
The film is produced by Denise DiNovi, Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, and executive produced by Andrew Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Donald Sabourin, Alice Hoffman.