I can’t believe it took 26 years for Nicole Kidman’s $75 million streaming horror movie to finally get a sequel

Many movies get sequels many years later, but in some cases, like that of Practical MagicIt’s hard to believe that it took so long to finally get a second part. There are movies that didn’t do well with critics and at the box office during their initial release, but ended up gaining a cult following years later – and that’s the case for Practical Magic. Directed by Griffin Dunne and based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic Taking viewers to a small town in Massachusetts to meet the Owens family.

The Owens women carried a curse that doomed any man an Owens woman loved, leading sisters Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman) to see love in very different ways. Now a widow and living with her daughters and her aunt, Sally reunites with Gillian to use their magic together to destroy the evil spirit of Gillian’s abusive boyfriend, whom they killed in self-defense. Practical Magic is now a must-watch classic for the Halloween season, and I can’t believe it took this long to get a sequel, but it’s finally happening almost three decades later.

Why Practical Magic 2 is finally happening with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman after 26 years

The long-awaited practical magic sequel is finally happening

Although Practical Magic‘s ending does not set up a sequel, There is much more about the Owens women to be explored. at the end of Practical MagicTo get Jimmy’s (Goran Visnjic) spirit from Jillian’s body, the Owen women form a coven with the townswomen (some of whom had previously dismissed them as witches) and successfully exorcise Jimmy’s spirit. This also breaks the curse of Owens, so Sally and Gary (Aidan Quinn) begin a relationship without fear of the curse manifesting itself.

On top of that, the Owens are finally welcomed into the town’s community, and they are no longer rejected as witches. Despite its popularity and cult following nowadays, Practical Magic was not well received by critics and general audiences during its initial release. Practical Magic Received mixed reviews from critics and still holds a 25% critics score Rotten tomatoesAlthough against an 85% audience score. When it comes to box office numbers, Practical Magic earned 68.3 million dollars against a budget of 75 million.

The performance with critics and viewers may have been the biggest factor in considering a sequel for Practical MagicAnd by the time it became popular, its stars had already moved on to bigger and different projects. In addition to this, The Practical Magic Roman didn’t get a sequel until 2021when The book of magic is out. Hoffman wrote two prequel novels – The rules of magic (2017) and Magic lessons (2020) – so it was not material to bring the Owens back until now.

Practical Magic 2 follows the trend of cult ’80s and ’90s horror movies getting delayed sequels

Practical magic is another addition to a huge current trend

The film industry is defined by trends, and many have dominated it in recent years. Reboots, prequels and legacy sequels are the biggest movie trends at the momentThrough which many franchises and other beloved movies have been brought back to life, some more successfully than others. The sequel trend was more common in franchises and movies released in the 1980s and 1990s, especially in the horror genre. GhostbustersFor example, was revived in 2021 with Jason Reitman’s Ghostbusters: AfterlifeAnd in 2022, Anne Fletcher brought the Sanderson Sisters back in Hocus Pocus 2.

Recently, Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Got a long-awaited and delayed sequel in 2024 with Beetlejuice BeetlejuiceWhich was a hit with critics and general audiences. Practical Magic is now joining the fun with a direct sequel, based on the book of magic, And with Akiba Goldsman, who co-wrote the screenplay for the first movie, back to write the sequel. At the time of writing, Practical magic 2 Has no director yet, but it brings back its main stars.

Practical Magic 2 Brings Back Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman Avoid a Big Problem with Hocus Pocus 2

Practical Magic 2 learned a great lesson from Hocus Pocus 2

Despite their very different stories and styles, Practical Magic And Hocus Pocus are often compared Due to both having witches as their main characters. with Practical Magic Now get a sequel and Hocus Pocus Finally getting one in 2022, the comparisons have grown, however Practical magic 2 Already has a great advantage over Hocus Pocus 2. The return of the Sanderson sisters did not include Hocus Pocus‘ heroes Danny, Max and Allison, and, instead, introduced new characters who turned out to be a coven of their own (but using magic for good, of course).

This is one of my problems with Hocus Pocus 2But luckily, Practical magic 2 That problem has already been avoided. Practical magic 2 is bringing back Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as Sally and GillianAnd it remains to be seen if Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest will return as aunts Frances and Jett (and I really hope they will). Practical magic 2 Will keep the focus on the Owens family with Sally’s daughters taking an active part, unlike Hocus Pocus 2Which leaves the Denisons and Allison facing the Sandersons against new (and weak in terms of character) teenagers.