‘Practical Magic 2’ Is About to End ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s Historic Six-Week Box Office Reign

Summer 2026 delivered one of the strongest theatrical seasons cinemas have seen in years, with Tom Holland’s latest Spider-Man outing leading the charge in a way few franchise films have managed before. Now, as the calendar shifts into fall, exhibitors are watching closely to see whether that momentum can carry over into a new lineup of releases.

‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘ has spent the past six consecutive weekends sitting comfortably at the top of the domestic box office charts, a run that’s helped push the film past $2,000,000,000 globally and positioned it to soon overtake ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ as the highest-grossing movie of all time domestically, not adjusted for inflation.

That streak finally appears headed for an end. ‘Practical Magic 2’ is projected to debut between $30,000,000 and $40,000,000 from 4,000 North American theaters this weekend, enough to claim the number one spot and finally dethrone ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ after its unprecedented six-week reign.

The sequel reunites Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as witchy sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, arriving nearly three decades after the original 1998 film built a cult following despite underperforming at the box office on release. That original film pulled in just $68,000,000 worldwide against a $75,000,000 production budget, making its eventual cultural staying power all the more unusual.

Directed by Susanne Bier, the follow-up picks up 25 years after the first film, following Sally and Gillian’s daughters as they uncover hidden family secrets while trying to break the dark curse that has haunted the Owens lineage for generations. Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing return as the sisters’ aunts, while Lee Pace, Maisie Williams, Joey King, Xolo Maridueña, and Solly McLeod join the cast in new roles.

Despite the star power behind it, ‘Practical Magic 2’ hasn’t fared well with critics, currently sitting at just 35% on Rotten Tomatoes. Variety’s own review described the film as cumbersome and overlong given the 28-year wait between installments, a reaction that could limit the film’s staying power once opening weekend curiosity fades.

Internationally, the sequel is projected to add another $18,000,000 to $25,000,000 across 77 territories, putting its combined global opening anywhere between $48,000,000 and $65,000,000. Given the film’s $75,000,000 production budget from Warner Bros., that range suggests the studio is looking at a competitive but not guaranteed path to profitability.

‘Practical Magic 2’ arrives as part of a broader wave of fall releases aiming to sustain the momentum built over the summer, joining upcoming titles like Tom Cruise’s comedy ‘Digger,’ Zach Cregger’s ‘Resident Evil’ reboot, and the Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson-led adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s ‘Verity.’ Exhibitor Chris Randleman of Flix Brewhouse told Variety that there are a lot of cool and original ideas heading into the fall season, exactly the kind of variety audiences have been asking for.

That optimism reflects a broader shift in how theater owners are approaching the back half of the year, hoping the strong summer numbers weren’t simply a temporary spike but a sign of renewed audience appetite for theatrical releases across genres.

Even as it loses its grip on the top spot, ‘Brand New Day’ isn’t fading quietly. The film has already generated $923,000,000 domestically and $2,400,000,000 globally, and its march toward the all-time domestic box office record remains firmly on track regardless of this weekend’s shakeup atop the charts.

With ‘Practical Magic 2’ poised to finally break Spider-Man’s stranglehold on the box office, the film’s opening weekend performance will offer an early signal of how much nostalgia-driven sequels can still draw audiences into theaters this fall.

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