Practical Magic 2 looks to brew up a winning combination at the domestic box office as it begins its opening weekend that is set to overthrow Spider-Man: Brand New Day from the top spot.
With Warner Bros. releasing director Susanne Bier’s sequel in over 4,000 North American theaters, Practical Magic 2 grossed $4.7 million in Thursday previews. The studio projects an opening weekend in the range of $30 million to $35 million domestically for the movie that carries a $75 million production budget.
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Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman reprise their roles as the Owens sisters from the 1998 original that tapped out at $46 million domestically for the entirety of its initial run. Adapting the work of author Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic 2 focuses on witches Sally (Bullock) and Gillian (Kidman) as they seek to end the curse that has prevented their family members from finding love. Joey King, Maisie Williams and Lee Pace round out the cast.
The sequel has had a tough time mystifying critics, as it holds a 35 percent approval rating from reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes, which is only slightly improved over the score of 29 for the original. In her review for The Hollywood Reporter, critic Angie Han wrote that Practical Magic 2 “works better the less you look for any sense of logic, and the more you just lean into the transient joys of watching these [two] actresses bounce off each other.”
After leading the domestic box office for six consecutive weekends, Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man: Brand New Day will finally be supplanted from the top spot. But the Tom Holland-led superhero blockbuster from filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton continues breaking records, as it is poised to top the all-time North American chart in the coming days by surpassing the $936 million domestic total for 2015’s Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens.
Also debuting in theaters this weekend is Focus Features’ The Uprising. Opening in 2,055 North American theaters, director Paul Greengrass’ feature about the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt in England stars Andrew Garfield. The Uprising holds a 54 percent critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with THR critic Frank Scheck deeming it “skillfully made and acted, but exhausting.”
Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson star in Angel Studios’ Runner, which is also among the new entries. Director Scott Waugh’s action-comedy opens in 2,568 North American theaters and centers on an organ delivery gone wrong. Runner boasts a 70 percent approval rating from reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes, with Scheck’s review noting that it “doesn’t prove boring for a second but has trouble managing its disparate tones.”
Another newcomer this weekend is Inaugural Entertainment’s The Fix, with Zachary Levi and Liam Neeson starring in the geopolitical thriller from director Guy Moshe. Scheck’s review praised the movie’s “smaller-scale action set pieces” but noted that the plotting is “less effective.”
Additionally, Neon released filmmaker Na Hong-jin’s monster epic Hope in 1,500 theaters on Wednesday. Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung and Hoyeon star in the South Korean feature that THR chief film critic David Rooney praised for “virtuoso camera work, pulse-pounding score, adrenalized pacing and sharply drawn characters.”
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