Practical Magic 2 conjures $30m debut to end Spider-Man's six-week reign
Practical Magic 2 has ended Spider-Man: Brand New Day's six-week run at No. 1 in North American cinemas.
The Warner Bros. and Alcon sequel earned $13 million on Friday across 4,146 theatres and is heading for an opening weekend of about $30 million, in studio estimates with actuals due Monday, according to Variety. That Friday total put it ahead of every other release. Domestic means the United States and Canada.
The film reunites Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as the Owens sisters. Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing return, joined by Maisie Williams, Joey King, Xolo Mariduena and Lee Pace. It carries a $75 million production cost and took $4.7 million in previews, reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
Spider-Man is not done yet. In its seventh weekend, Spider-Man: Brand New Day earned $2 million on Friday in North America and is targeting $8.5 million for the weekend, which would lift its domestic total to $935.27 million, according to Variety. The all-time domestic record to beat is $936.6 million, set by 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The Marvel entry had opened to an all-time record in the United States and Canada, Reuters reported.
Behind the top two, Universal's The Odyssey grossed $2.06 million on Friday and is projected to add $8.1 million by Sunday, reaching $601 million domestic through nine weekends. Coyote vs. Acme took about $1.4 million on Friday and is estimated at $6.3 million for the weekend, for a $47.8 million domestic total through three weekends. Angel Studios' Runner earned an estimated $2.5 million on Friday from 2,568 locations for an estimated $6 million weekend, while Focus Features' The Uprising took $1.38 million on opening day from 2,068 screens for a projected $3.1 million weekend.
The new arrivals follow a record domestic summer of $4.76 billion, according to Deadline. The original Practical Magic collected $46.7 million at the global box office, equivalent to $91.6 million today, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
What makes this stand out is the calendar squeeze. A late-summer sequel takes the top spot while a seventh-weekend blockbuster sits within touching distance of the domestic record.
