Warner Bros and Alcon’s Practical Magic 2 took an estimated $3.5 million to $4 million in Thursday previews that began at 2 p.m., a figure that sits above the early hauls of recent Sandra Bullock and mid-budget romantic titles and points toward a domestic opening in the low-$30 millions on a $70 million net production budget.
Comps and context
The preview range exceeds The Lost City’s $2.5 million in 2022, which opened to $31 million over three days, and Ticket to Paradise’s $1.1 million, which debuted to $16.5 million. It also edges past Warner Bros/MRC’s Wuthering Heights, which collected $3 million on its Thursday and finished its first weekend at $32.8 million. The studio has Dolby Cinema and other premium large-format screens in play this weekend, which typically lift per-screen averages.
The budget math
Alcon financed half of the $70 million net cost, limiting Warner Bros’ direct exposure. If the film lands between the projected $30 million and $35 million domestic start, the split-financing structure means the studio’s breakeven threshold is lower than a wholly owned $70 million title would imply. The international outlook across 77 territories, excluding China, is modeled at $18 million to $23 million.
Critics versus audience
Rotten Tomatoes has the sequel at 36 percent positive reviews, a modest improvement on the original’s 29 percent in 1998. That first film opened to $13.1 million over the October 16-18 weekend and legged out to $46.7 million domestic and $94.4 million worldwide on a B-minus CinemaScore. The source notes that audiences scoring adaptations of novels can be harsher than critics, a pattern that may repeat here.
International and other openers
Neon’s Hope, written and directed by Na Hong-jin and starring Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, opened Wednesday to $1.1 million from 1,506 locations, including $305,000 in previews. The sci-fi alien invasion picture is tracking toward a mid-single-digit five-day debut after grossing over $36 million in South Korea, where it held the top spot for two consecutive weekends. Disney’s documentary Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger and Angel Studios’ Runner also debut this weekend. Warner Bros will report final Thursday figures Friday morning.