The Practical Magic 2 teaser trailer is out, and it is worth taking a second to appreciate what we are actually looking at here. A film that bombed at the box office in 1998, fell short of recouping its $75 million budget, and got mixed reviews at best is now getting a sequel with its full original cast, a rebuilt set, and a room full of theater owners losing their minds at CinemaCon.
What Happened the First Time
The original Practical Magic came out in October 1998 and critics did not know what to do with it. It was part romantic comedy, part domestic abuse drama, part supernatural thriller, part crime story. The tonal whiplash was real, and the reviews reflected that. The film underperformed. Nobody called it a classic.
Then it became one anyway. The film found its audience over the following two decades, particularly among millennial women who responded to what it was actually doing underneath the genre mess. A film about women protecting each other, centered entirely on a bloodline of women, with a finale built around a community of women coming together.
What the Trailer Shows
Sandra Bullock opens the teaser in voiceover as Sally: “I’m sure you’ve heard of the Owens family. The ones from Massachusetts. The ones their neighbors whisper are witches.” Nicole Kidman is back as Gillian, settled into life with a black cat. The house on the cliff was rebuilt from scratch for the film.
Bullock said of returning: “Coming back didn’t feel like shooting a sequel. It felt like coming back home.” Given that the original cast and director were not involved in any franchise maintenance for twenty-eight years, that is something.
The Cast
Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest are both back as the aunts Frances and Jet. The film adds Joey King as Sally’s daughter. She uncovers buried family secrets and develops dark powers of her own. Maisie Williams, Xolo Maridueña, and Solly McLeod round out the new generation.
Practical Magic 2 opens September 11, 2026.
