Everything You Need To Remember About ‘Practical Magic’ Before The Sequel Hits Theaters

Nearly three decades after two witchy sisters buried a body under a rose bush and made “midnight margaritas” a cultural shorthand for female friendship, the Owens women are finally coming back to the big screen. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are reprising their roles as Sally and Gillian Owens for ‘Practical Magic 2’, and if your memory of the 1998 original is fuzzy after all these years, now is the time to brush up before the new film arrives.

Whether you loved ‘Practical Magic‘ as a cult classic or you are coming to the franchise fresh because of all the sequel buzz, understanding what happened the first time around will make the follow up hit a lot harder. Here is a full refresher on the Owens family curse, the original cast, and everything currently known about the long awaited sequel.

The Owens Family Curse Explained

The original film centers on the Owens family, a line of witches whose troubles trace back three centuries to their ancestor Maria Owens. Maria was abandoned by her lover and cast a spell to protect herself from ever loving again, unknowingly dooming her descendants in the process. From that moment forward, any man who falls for an Owens woman is destined to die, a fate that claimed the life of Sally and Gillian’s own father.

Sally and Gillian are raised by their eccentric aunts, Frances and Jet, in a household where breakfast was chocolate cake and every lesson doubled as a lesson in “practical magic.” As adults, Sally is the grounded, reserved sister who wants nothing to do with the curse, while Gillian is impulsive and free spirited, chasing passion wherever it leads her. Sally eventually marries a local man named Michael despite trying to avoid falling in love, and the couple has two daughters together.

The plot takes its darkest turn when Gillian gets involved with an abusive boyfriend named Jimmy Angelov. When Jimmy attacks the sisters, they accidentally kill him in self-defense, then panic and use forbidden magic to bring him back to life. The resurrection spell goes horribly wrong, and Jimmy returns as a far more menacing version of himself, forcing the sisters to kill him again and bury him in their backyard, which unleashes a fresh curse on the family.

The back half of the film follows the sisters as they try to cover their tracks while a detective investigating Jimmy’s disappearance gets closer to the truth. Sally ultimately forms a coven with other women in town and leads a collective exorcism ritual to drive Jimmy’s vengeful spirit out of Gillian, and by uniting their magic together, the Owens women finally break the curse’s hold on their family.

The ‘Practical Magic 2’ Cast Brings Back Familiar Faces and New Blood

The sequel’s biggest selling point is the reunion of its two leads. Kidman and Bullock will reprise their roles as sisters Gillian and Sally Owens, marking the first time the pair have shared a screen together since the original. Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing are also returning as Aunts Jet and Frances, giving longtime fans another dose of nostalgia.

The new film widens its scope by introducing the next generation of Owens witches. The sequel picks up years later and follows the daughters of Sally and Gillian, played by Maisie Williams and Joey King. Lee Pace, Xolo Maridueña, and Solly McLeod round out the new cast additions.

Behind the camera, the project reunites some talent from the franchise’s history. Susanne Bier is directing ‘Practical Magic 2’ from a screenplay by Akiva Goldsman, who also co-wrote the original film, alongside Georgia Pritchett and Kelly Marcel. Bullock and Kidman are producing the film alongside Denise Di Novi, who produced the original.

Fans have had strong reactions to the casting news, particularly around who might be playing whom in the new Owens lineage. One commenter on Deadline’s coverage voiced a common worry among longtime viewers, writing that without Aidan Quinn back in the fold, they weren’t sure the sequel could recapture the same magic.

‘Practical Magic 2’ Release Date and Where the Story Picks Up

After some shuffling, the film’s theatrical release date has settled into place. ‘Practical Magic 2’ is currently scheduled to open in North American theaters on September 11, 2026, after Warner Bros. moved the date up by a week from its original September 18 placement. Some earlier reporting still references the September 18 date, so it is worth noting the shift if you are planning a theater trip.

As for where the story picks up, the sequel is not a direct continuation of the first film’s plot but rather draws from later material in Alice Hoffman’s literary universe. The film is based on ‘The Book of Magic’ by Alice Hoffman and is set twenty-five years after the events of the first film. According to its IMDb tagline, the story follows a multi-generational family of witches, cursed to be loveless for centuries, who attempt to break the spell by confronting dark secrets and sacrificing for each other.

Production wrapped relatively quickly once the film got moving. Filming took place at Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire and various locations around London, beginning in July 2025 and wrapping that September. Kidman spoke about the project’s momentum telling Variety in February that the sequel was “moving ahead rapidly”.

The Legacy of ‘Practical Magic’ as a Cult Favorite

It is easy to forget now, given how beloved ‘Practical Magic’ has become, that the film did not land well with critics or audiences on its initial release. When it hit theaters in October 1998, ‘Practical Magic’ received mixed reviews and did not break even on its budget. Over time, though, it built a devoted following that turned it into one of the defining witch movies of its era.

Part of that staying power comes down to the chemistry between its two stars. At its core, the film is about sisterhood, and Bullock and Kidman’s connection on screen became one of its most cherished elements, especially since it was the only time the two shared a big screen project together until now. That history is exactly why the sequel reunion has generated so much excitement among longtime fans.

The film’s cultural footprint has only grown thanks to streaming availability and nostalgia driven rewatches. The original ‘Practical Magic’ recently found a home on HBO Max, and the sequel is expected to eventually land there as well after its theatrical run. Warner Bros. also attempted to expand the property once before with a prequel series called ‘Rules of Magic,’ though that HBO series was ultimately scrapped and never made it to air.

With the original film’s legacy firmly cemented and a sequel now just weeks away, the excitement around the Owens sisters returning feels earned rather than manufactured. Now that you’re caught up on the curse, the cast, and everything else the Owens family has been through, what part of Sally and Gillian’s story are you hoping ‘Practical Magic 2’ finally gets to explore?