Practical Magic 2 Earns $3.5M in Thursday Previews — SkimNews
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- Practical Magic 2 earned an estimated $3.5M–$4M in Thursday previews from showtimes that began at 2 p.m., with the figure higher than Bullock's recent rom-com vehicles including The Lost City ($2.5M previews, $31M opening) and Ticket to Paradise ($1.1M previews, $16.5M opening).
- The preview cash also edged above Wuthering Heights' $3M Thursday, which converted into a $32.8M three-day opening for Warner Bros/MRC — a useful comp for the sequel's weekend trajectory.
- Alcon financed 50% of the $70M-net sequel, with the film leaning on PLFs including Dolby Cinema to drive its projected $30M–$35M domestic opening.
- Critics scored the sequel at 36% on Rotten Tomatoes — only marginally better than the 1998 original's 29%, which opened to $13.1M, finaled at $46.7M domestic and $94.4M worldwide, and earned a B- CinemaScore from audiences.
- International prospects are pegged at $18M–$23M across 77 territories — a ceiling notably capped by the absence of a China release.
- Neon's Hope, a Korean sci-fi alien-invasion film starring Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, opened alongside to $1.1M at 1,506 theaters after grossing $36M+ at home in South Korea, tracking toward a mid-single-digit five-day debut.
Why it matters: With a $70M net budget and Alcon on the hook for half, Practical Magic 2 needs to convert its preview momentum into a $30M-plus opening just to get in the door — and the $18M–$23M international forecast, which excludes China, leaves a long theatrical tail as the sequel's most plausible path to recoupment against a critics' score nearly identical to the 1998 original's.
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