‘Practical Magic 2’ tops ‘Spider-Man’ with $30M debut

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Nicole Kidman, left, and Sandra Bullock in a scene from “Practical Magic 2.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

LOS ANGELES – “Practical Magic 2” knocked “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” out of the top spot at the box office, opening with $30 million this weekend at North American theaters, according to industry estimates released Sunday.

The sequel to 1998’s fantasy/romance stars Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, who reprise their roles from the original, along with newer cast members Joey King, Lee Pace and Maisie Williams.

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which had led the box office for each of its first six weeks of release, was in second place with $8.4 million, Rentrak reported.

This image released by Sony Pictures shows a scene from “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” (Sony Pictures via AP)

“The Odyssey” was third with $7.4 million Friday through Sunday in its ninth weekend in theaters.

The action film “Runner” opened with $6.6 million for fourth place, followed by “Coyote vs. Acme” with $6.2 million in its third weekend.

Rounding out the top 10 releases were “Buddy” ($3.5 million), “Insidious: Out of the Further” ($3.35 million), “Hope” ($3.31 million), “The Uprising” ($3.2 million) and “By Any Means” ($2.5 million).

Sequel opens with $46M worldwide

“Practical Magic 2” conjured a box-office victory this weekend, opening atop the North American charts nearly three decades after its predecessor grew from a modest theatrical performer into a cult favorite.

The Warner Bros. sequel starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman earned an estimated $30 million from 4,146 theaters, according to estimates Sunday from Rentrak. The film knocked “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” out of the top spot after the superhero blockbuster led the domestic box office for six consecutive weekends.

“Practical Magic 2” added about $16 million from 77 international markets, giving it a worldwide opening of approximately $46 million.

The debut landed at the low end of Warner Bros.’ projected range of $30 million to $35 million. The Susanne Bier-directed film carries a reported $75 million production budget.

“It’s the kind of movie that you can build an evening at the movie theater around with your friends,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Rentrak.

Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman reunite after 28 years

Dergarabedian said the return of Bullock and Kidman was crucial to rekindling interest after such a long gap between films. He said the bigger test will come next weekend, when the sequel faces little direct competition.

“It’s not necessarily about that opening weekend,” he said. “Weekend two will tell the tale, no question about it.”

“Practical Magic 2” reunites Bullock and Kidman as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, members of a family of witches whose love lives have long been haunted by an ancestral curse. The sequel finds them trying to end the curse for good and introduces a younger generation of the Owens family, played by Joey King and Maisie Williams. Lee Pace also joins the cast.

The film is adapted from the work of author Alice Hoffman and arrives 28 years after the original “Practical Magic.” The 1998 film topped out at $46 million during its initial domestic run but gradually developed a devoted following through home viewing, streaming services and social media.

The latest film received two out of four stars from The Associated Press, whose review said the sequel abandons some of the campy fun that helped the original find an unlikely second life, but is buoyed by the strong performances and chemistry of Bullock and Kidman.

‘Spider-Man,’ ‘The Odyssey’ reach box-office milestones

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” slipped to second with $8.4 million, a 54% drop from the previous weekend. The Sony and Marvel blockbuster starring Tom Holland has now collected roughly $935.2 million domestically.

That puts the film within about $1.4 million of the $936.6 million North American total for 2015’s “Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens” and the top spot on the all-time domestic chart.

“Think about this movie opening at the end of July, and here we are in the middle of September,” Dergarabedian said. He expects Sony to keep the film in theaters as it pursues an unprecedented $1 billion in unadjusted domestic ticket sales.

Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” followed in third with $7.4 million during its ninth weekend. The Universal Pictures mythic epic, starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, has crossed $600.5 million domestically and $1.68 billion worldwide.

The movie also passed 2015’s “Jurassic World” to become Universal’s highest-grossing global release. It has also collected a record $506 million from IMAX screens worldwide, accounting for 30% of its global total.

Dergarabedian said the staying power of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and “The Odyssey,” which both opened in July, demonstrates the range of films moviegoers are willing to embrace.

Domestic box office climbs 19%

“People aren’t just looking at the movie theater as the home for the traditional cookie-cutter blockbuster,” he said. “They’re looking at the movie theater like they do almost as a streaming service, where there’s this incredible array and mix of genres, stars and types of films.”

Domestic box-office revenue for the year stands at $7.5 billion, up 19.2% from the same point in 2025.

“What a great summer, a record-breaking summer and a solid start to the fall,” Dergarabedian said. “It’s not like we had a blockbuster debut like we did last year with ‘Demon Slayer,’ but a solid start to a fall movie season that I think will deliver for sure.” (With CNS and AP reports)