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Practical Magic 2
A witchy dark fantasy rom-com steeped in nostalgia, cozy sweaters and old curses. Two sisters meet a familiar sorrow again, like candlelight flickering on a kitchen full of herbs and ghosts.
Practical Magic 2

Practical Magic 2

"Everything you've witched for."

09 September 2026 United States of America 130 min 6.9 (212)

Director: Susanne Bier

Cast: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Joey King, Maisie Williams, Xolo Maridueña

Fantasy Comedy Romance Sisterhood Inheritance and generations Curses and the past Love and grief Nostalgia and legacy
Budget: $75,000,000
Box Office: $103,500,917

Overview

Practical Magic 2 returns to Sally and Gillian Owens, the witch sisters played by Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, about 28 years after the 1998 original. Susanne Bier directs. The script is by Akiva Goldsman, Georgia Pritchett and Kelly Marcel, and it draws on Alice Hoffman's novel The Book of Magic. Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing return, and the cast also includes Joey King, Maisie Williams, Xolo Maridueña and Lee Pace.

Reviewers describe the story as the sisters facing a centuries-old witch's curse again, with the younger women in the family drawn into it. Gillian thinks the younger generation should have been taught about witchcraft and the family's history. Sally is cautious and guarded by comparison.

The film mixes romance, comedy and dark fantasy. It leans on the sisters' chemistry, and Rupert Gregson-Williams reworks Alan Silvestri's themes for the score.

Core Meaning

The film is about the bond between sisters, and between generations of women, as the thing that outlasts curses, grief and time. Its message is that magic is practical: it is inherited, taught and shared. Hiding that inheritance out of fear only makes the family vulnerable. Reviewers also note it revisits the first film's resolution, which suggests that no happy ending is permanent and that love and loss keep coming back.

Thematic DNA

Sisterhood 30%
Inheritance and generations 25%
Curses and the past 20%
Love and grief 15%
Nostalgia and legacy 10%

Sisterhood

The Sally and Gillian dynamic drives the film. Critics single out Bullock and Kidman's chemistry as its strongest element.

Inheritance and generations

The younger women in the family and the question of whether they should have been taught about witchcraft and family history set up a clash between protecting and preparing.

Curses and the past

A centuries-old curse returns, and the sisters face a problem much like the one from the first film.

Love and grief

Sally's husband Gary is dead, and Gillian's romantic freedom is tested. Love is shown as magical and costly at once.

Nostalgia and legacy

The film replays elements that made the original a cult favorite. Critics split on whether this feels warm or stale.

Character Analysis

Sally Owens

Sandra Bullock

Archetype: Reluctant hero Key Trait: Guarded and protective

Motivation

To protect her family from loss and from the curse.

Character Arc

She is the guarded sister, widowed after Gary's death, who is pulled back into witchcraft and has to open up again. Variety felt she had not visibly grown. Other critics praised her emotional restraint.

Gillian Owens

Nicole Kidman

Archetype: Free spirit Key Trait: Impish and emotionally open

Motivation

To live and love fully, and to keep her family close.

Character Arc

She is impulsive and romantic, and she pushes Sally to share the family's magic. IndieWire called her the franchise's sensitive nerve ending.

All 4 characters and cast

Symbols & Motifs

The curse

Meaning:

The weight of inherited trauma and of old patterns that repeat.

Context:

A centuries-old curse threatens the Owens women again, echoing the first film.

Cozy sweaters and the Owens home

Meaning:

Domestic warmth and the safety of family ritual.

Context:

Reviews mention the sisters in cozy knitwear while they deal with dark magic. The mix of comfort and menace is the franchise's signature.

Potions and spells in place of cocktails

Meaning:

Magic as an everyday tool for love and healing, and as a stand-in for adult life.

Context:

Variety compares Gillian to a witchy Samantha from Sex and the City, with potions in place of cosmopolitans.

Philosophical Questions

Should we shield the next generation from painful family history?

Gillian argues the younger women should have been taught about witchcraft and family history. Sally leans toward protection. The film sets knowledge against safety.

Can a happy ending last?

Critics note that the sequel undoes the first film's resolution, and that Gary has died. This suggests that endings are only pauses in a continuing story.

How It Ends

Alternative Interpretations

Some critics read the film as a loving continuation rooted in Hoffman's mythology, with women protecting the franchise's spirit. Others read it as paint-by-numbers nostalgia that undoes the first film's uplifting ending by putting the sisters in the same problem again.

Full ending explanation

Cultural Impact

The film arrives nearly 30 years after the 1998 cult favorite, as part of a wave of legacy sequels. Critics cited Freakier Friday and The Devil Wears Prada 2 as comparisons. Opinion was split. IndieWire called it spellbinding, with a heartfelt reunion. Variety, Moviefreak and Moviejawn found it predictable, overlong or a nostalgia exercise. Wikipedia lists a box office of $103 million.

Audience Reception

Critics were divided. Praise went to the Bullock and Kidman chemistry, the score and the brisk pacing. Complaints were about the length, predictability, characters who seem not to have grown, and a reliance on nostalgia. I did not find aggregated audience scores in my research.

Interesting Facts

  • The film is directed by Susanne Bier, who previously directed Sandra Bullock in Bird Box and Nicole Kidman in the TV series The Undoing and The Perfect Couple.
  • Bullock and Kidman also produce, alongside Denise Di Novi.
  • The screenplay is credited to Akiva Goldsman, Georgia Pritchett and Kelly Marcel. It is based on Alice Hoffman's 2021 novel The Book of Magic.
  • Griffin Dunne, who directed the 1998 original, was reported to be an executive producer.
  • Rupert Gregson-Williams composed the score, reinterpreting Alan Silvestri's themes from the original.
  • Simon Duggan shot the film and Sam Williams edited it. Wikipedia lists a runtime of 130 minutes.
  • Wikipedia lists a $75 million net budget and a premiere on August 26, 2026 at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square. The US release followed on September 10, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Explore More About This Movie

Dive deeper into specific aspects of the movie with our detailed analysis pages

Ending Explained

Characters & Cast

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