Practical Magic 2 opens in theatres on September 10, 2026, bringing Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman back as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, 28 years after the original 1998 film. Directed by Susanne Bier, the sequel also introduces Joey King and Maisie Williams as Sally’s grown daughters, while Warner Bros. has produced the film for $75 million. Current tracking projects an opening of $30–40 million in North America and $18–25 million internationally, putting the worldwide debut at approximately $48–65 million.
The theatrical arrival is especially notable because Practical Magic 2 marks Sandra Bullock’s return to acting after a four-year break. Her last films, The Lost City and Bullet Train, both arrived in 2022. Bullock returns not only as Sally Owens but also as a producer, giving the sequel added importance beyond its nostalgic appeal. Nicole Kidman also returns as Gillian Owens, with the two actresses once again at the centre of the sisterly relationship that became central to the original film’s lasting popularity.
One of the sequel’s biggest changes is the recasting of Sally’s daughters. Joey King now plays Kylie Owens, while Maisie Williams plays Antonia Owens. In the 1998 film, the characters were played by Evan Rachel Wood and Alexandra Artrip. The sequel presents Kylie and Antonia as young adults coming out of college, leading Susanne Bier to explain that the roles needed to be recast to fit the story’s timeline. The change has attracted attention, but the production has framed it as a continuity decision rather than a creative dispute.
The returning Owens family also includes Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest as aunts Frances and Jet. Joining them are Lee Pace, Xolo Maridueña and Solly McLeod. Maridueña plays Gideon, Kylie’s boyfriend, whose relationship becomes important to the new generation’s encounter with the family curse. Pace plays Ian Wright, a British academic with knowledge of the dark arts who helps Sally and Gillian search for Kylie. McLeod joins the younger ensemble as Tom Lockland, further widening the story beyond the original sisters and their family.
The sequel also changes the meaning of the original film’s happy ending. Sally’s husband Gary, played by Aidan Quinn in the first movie, dies after their marriage, showing that the Owens curse was not truly defeated. Grieving his death, Sally uses magic to erase her daughters’ memories of their supernatural heritage and distances herself from magic. That decision becomes difficult to maintain when Kylie falls in love with Gideon and a tragic accident forces the family to confront its history again.
The film builds its connection to 1998 through a retro 1990s Warner Bros. Pictures logo at the beginning. It is a small but deliberate visual reminder of where the Owens story began. The soundtrack creates another bridge between generations. Olivia Rodrigo contributes “The Cure,” while Stevie Nicks returns with “Landslide.” Nicks’ connection runs even deeper because her song “Crystal” featured in the original film.
Practical Magic was not a major theatrical success when it was released in 1998, but its audience grew over the years and turned it into a cult favourite. That history gives the sequel a different challenge from an ordinary franchise continuation. Warner Bros. is launching a $75 million production into theatres with tracking suggesting a strong opening, but projections are not the same as profitability.
Ultimately, Practical Magic 2 is both a reunion and a handoff. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman restore the original sisters at the centre, while Joey King and Maisie Williams bring the Owens family into a new generation. After 28 years, the theatrical release now tests whether the affection built around the 1998 film can support another chapter without losing the family, friendship and magic that made the original endure.
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